A new adenovirus specific nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method is described. It
was designed inside the hexon protein gene of the adenovirus genome, and was able to
detect DNA of all 47 human adenovirus types in a wide range of clinical samples. A sensitive
internal control system able to assure proper analytical conditions for the amplification of as
few as 100 molecules of a heterologous DNA was included to avoid false negative results.
Sensitivity was estimated at about 10 molecules per tube of a plasmid containing an insert of …