any of a group of illnesses caused by infection with an adenovirus. There are 47 different serotypes of adenovirus, though not all these serotypes cause illness in humans. Illnesses that arise from adenovirus infection include respiratory disease, conjunctivitis, keratoconjunctivitis (infection of the conjunctiva and cornea of the eye (eye, human)), gastroenteritis, and cystitis (inflammation of the bladder). In the upper respiratory tract there is frequent involvement of the regional lymph nodes (lymph node), bearing considerable resemblance to the common cold.

Adenoviruses are often found in latent infections in clinically healthy persons. A vaccine against adenovirus serotypes 4 and 7 was developed in the 1970s for the purpose of immunizing U.S. military trainees, who were at high risk of infection with these serotypes, which give rise to respiratory disease.