What is adenovirus infection (Ad14)?
A report in the November 16, 2007, issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [MMWR 56(45):1181-1184] noted an unusual number of recent cases of severe pneumonia and deaths caused by adenovirus serotype 14 (Ad14) infection among civilian and military communities. Ad14 is one of the 51 serotypes of adenoviruses. The MMWR report was based on investigations done by state and city health authorities, the U.S. Air Force, and CDC. The study showed that Ad14 is a rarely reported but emerging serotype of adenovirus that can cause severe and sometimes fatal respiratory disease in people of all ages, including healthy young adults. However, Ad 14 infections are uncommon. Most infections from Ad14 are not serious, and severe or fatal outcomes from Ad14 are rare. Thus, the public should not be concerned about the emergence of Ad14. What are the symptoms of adenovirus infection? The viruses are a common cause of infection in humans, but they rarely cause serious or fatal illness. Adenovirus
