Adenoviruses are medium-sized (90–100 nm), nonenveloped (without an outer lipid bilayer) icosahedral viruses composed of a nucleocapsid and a double-stranded linear DNA genome. There are 57 described serotypes in humans, which are responsible for 5–10% of upper respiratory infections in children, and many infections in adults as well.
Viruses of the family Adenoviridae infect various species of vertebrates, including humans. Adenoviruses were first isolated in 1953 from humanadenoids. They are classified as group I under the Baltimore classification scheme, meaning their genomes consist of double stranded DNA.
