Human adenovirus 41 (HAdV-F41), is an enteric '' Adenovirus'', a

nonenveloped A viral envelope is the outermost layer of many types of viruses. It protects the genetic material in their life cycle when traveling between host cells. Not all viruses have envelopes. Numerous human pathogenic viruses in circulation are encase ...

virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...

with an

icosahedral In geometry, an icosahedron ( or ) is a polyhedron with 20 faces. The name comes and . The plural can be either "icosahedra" () or "icosahedrons". There are infinitely many non- similar shapes of icosahedra, some of them being more symmetrica ...

nucleocapsid containing a double-stranded DNA genome. It can particularly target the gastrointestinal tract to cause gastroenteritis, with symptoms similar to rotavirus gastroenteritis and

norovirus Norovirus, sometimes referred to as the winter vomiting disease, is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Infection is characterized by non-bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Fever or headaches may also occur. Symptoms usually devel ...

. It may be present in the gut without causing symptoms and can be detected by using molecular based assays and

enzyme immunoassay An enzyme immunoassay is any of several immunoassay methods that use an enzyme bound to an antigen or antibody. These may include: * Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analyti ...

. As of August 2022, human adenovirus 41 has been identified in a majority of small children with hepatitis of unknown cause in 2 case series.

Classification

Human adenovirus 41 belongs to the ''

Adenoviridae Adenoviruses (members of the family ''Adenoviridae'') are medium-sized (90–100 nm), nonenveloped (without an outer lipid bilayer) viruses with an icosahedral nucleocapsid containing a double-stranded DNA genome. Their name derives from th ...

'' family, and along with human adenovirus 40, is a member of species human mastadenovirus F.

Pathology

It can particularly target the gastrointestinal tract to cause gastroenteritis in very young children. Symptoms appear similar to rotavirus gastroenteritis and

. It may be present in the gut without causing symptoms. In an investigation of 5 children with an inflammation of the liver (

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes ( jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal ...

) of unknown cause at Birmingham, Alabama in October 2021, all turned out to have human adenovirus 41. In August 2022, 9 children in a U.S. case series of hepatitis of unknown cause and 27 of 30 children in a U.K. case series with hepatitis of unknown cause who underwent molecular testing tested positive for human adenovirus type 41 in a sample. It was unclear whether human adenovirus 41 was the cause, however.

Diagnosis

It cannot be detected using traditional cell culture isolation, but can be detected by using molecular based assays and

Epidemiology

Globally it is a significant cause of gastroenteritis, particularly in

low and middle income countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

, but less common than

rotavirus ''Rotavirus'' is a genus of double-stranded RNA viruses in the family ''Reoviridae''. Rotaviruses are the most common cause of diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children. Nearly every child in the world is infected with a rotavirus ...

and

. How frequently it occurs in sewage and drinking water is not known. Type 40 is less common.

History

It was first identified in 1983.

Classification

Pathology

Diagnosis

Epidemiology

History

References

Further reading