Adenovirus Infection

Adenovirus infection is a contagious viral disease caused by adenoviruses, commonly resulting in a respiratory tract infection. Typical symptoms range from those of a common cold, such as nasal congestion, rhinitis and cough, to difficulty breathing as in pneumonia, and it can also appear as a mild eye infection, as the more severe adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis, or as gastroenteritis with vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Onset is usually two to fourteen days after exposure. Infections in humans are generally caused by adenovirus types B, C, E and F and spread mainly through close contact, by the fecal-oral route, airborne transmission or small droplets, and less commonly through contaminated surfaces. Some people have no symptoms.