Current use and future directions of adenovirus vaccine.

Adenoviruses are a major cause of respiratory illnesses in military recruits and also are common causes of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections during childhood. Forty-one serotypes of human respiratory and enteric adenoviruses have been identified. Live, oral adenovirus vaccines developed for the military and tested in large clinical trials have proved to be safe and highly effective in decreasing hospitalizations related to adenoviral acute respiratory diseases. Studies have demonstrated little horizontal transmission among military personnel but substantial transmission among family members. Use of recombinant techniques have opened new opportunities for the development of recombinant adenovirus vector vaccines against a number of viral pathogens such as hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency, herpes simplex and respiratory syncytial virus.