Adenovirus

Over the years, an old friend, Michael Cater, MD, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Orange County, California, has shared numerous interesting cases, some from exotic places during his time in the Army.

A combination of viruses has been linked to an unexplained surge of severe hepatitis in children.

Although adenovirus was isolated from most children with unexplained acute hepatitis, its role in the illnesses remains unclear, according to the authors of two new studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The oncolytic adenovirus DNX-2401 appeared safe and feasible among a small cohort of pediatric patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, according to study results published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

CDC researchers said they did not find a recent increase in cases of hepatitis or adenovirus types 40/41 among children in the United States compared with pre-pandemic baseline levels.

Data reported in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report did not demonstrate an increase in pediatric hepatitis or adenovirus types 40/41 above pre-COVID-19 pandemic baseline levels.

The CDC reported during a media telebriefing that it is investigating cases of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology among children in the United States but warns it will take time to evaluate evidence.

Several cases of acute, severe hepatitis in children in Alabama provided additional evidence in support of a possible link between this illness and adenovirus, according to a report published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The WHO has reported at least 169 cases of severe, acute hepatitis in children aged 1 month to 16 years from a dozen countries worldwide, according to a statement from the organization.

Adenovirus type 4 infections among civilians have tripled in the last decade worldwide, according to study results published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.