Home > Encyclopedia of Children's Health > Adenovirus Infections

Definition

Adenoviruses are small infectious agents that cause upper respiratory tract infections, conjunctivitis, and other infections in humans.

Description

Adenoviruses were discovered in 1953. By 2004 about 49 different types had been identified, and about half of those were believed to cause human diseases. Adenovirus infections can occur throughout the year, unlike the seasonality associated with other respiratory viruses.

In children, adenoviruses most often cause acute upper respiratory infections with fever and runny nose. Adenovirus types 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 are responsible for most of these infections. Occasionally more...