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Introduction: We present six adenovirus cases that emerged from a cluster of respiratory illnesses within a college population. Two patients required intensive care with complicated hospital courses and experienced residual symptoms. Four additional patients were evaluated in the emergency department (ED) with two additional diagnoses of neuroinvasive disease. These cases represent the first known occurrences of neuroinvasive adenovirus infections in healthy adults.Case Series: An individual presented to the ED with fever, altered mental status, and seizures after being found unresponsive in his apartment. His presentation was concerning for significant central nervous system pathology. Shortly after his arrival, a second individual presented with similar symptoms. Both required intubation and admission to a critical care setting. Over a 24-hour period, four additional individuals presented to the ED with moderate severity symptoms. All six individuals tested positive for adenovirus in their respiratory secretions. A provisional diagnosis of neuroinvasive adenovirus was made after consultation with infectious diseases. Conclusion: This cluster of cases appears to represent the first known reported diagnosis of neuroinvasive adenovirus in healthy young individuals. Our cases were also unique in demonstrating a significant spectrum of disease severity. Over 80 individuals in the broader college community ultimately tested positive for adenovirus in respiratory samples. As respiratory viruses continue to challenge our healthcare systems, new spectrums of disease are being discovered. We believe clinicians should be aware of the potential severity of neuroinvasive adenovirus disease.

Background Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) can cause outbreaks of flu-like illness in university settings. Most infections in healthy young adults are mild; severe illnesses rarely occur. In Fall 2022, an adenovirus outbreak was identified in university students. Methods HAdV cases were defined as university students 17–26 years old who presented to the University Health Service or nearby emergency department with flu-like symptoms (eg, fever, cough, headache, myalgia, nausea) and had confirmed adenovirus infections by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Demographic and clinical characteristics were abstracted from electronic medical records; clinical severity was categorized as mild, moderate, severe, or critical. We performed contact investigations among critical cases. A subset of specimens was sequenced to confirm the HAdV type. Results From 28 September 2022 to 30 January 2023, 90 PCR-confirmed cases were identified (51% female; mean age, 19.6 years). Most cases (88.9%) had mild illness. Seven cases required hospitalization, including 2 critical cases that required intensive care. Contact investigation identified 44 close contacts; 6 (14%) were confirmed HAdV cases and 8 (18%) reported symptoms but never sought care. All typed HAdV-positive specimens (n = 36) were type 4. Conclusions While most students with confirmed HAdV had mild illness, 7 otherwise healthy students had severe or critical illness. Between the relatively high number of hospitalizations and proportion of close contacts with symptoms who did not seek care, the true number of HAdV cases was likely higher. Our findings illustrate the need to consider a wide range of pathogens, even when other viruses are known to be circulating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]