ABSTRACT
Adenoviruses are widely distributed in nature, infecting a diverse group of vertebrates, including mammals, fish, birds, and reptiles. Adenoviruses that infect humans (HAdVs) are a common cause of febrile illnesses in young children. They are most frequently associated with upper respiratory tract infections such as pharyngitis or coryza, but they are also the cause of pneumonia and gastrointestinal, ophthalmological, genitourinary, and central nervous system (CNS) diseases.1,2 Most illnesses are self-limited. However, severe and even fatal infections can occur in immunocompromised hosts and occasionally immunocompetent children and adults1. In addition to their clinical importance, adenoviruses are being studied intensively as vectors to deliver foreign genes for gene therapy and for immunization against other pathogens.
