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Volume 30, Number 4—April 2024
CME ACTIVITY - Research

Deaths Associated with Pediatric Hepatitis of Unknown Etiology, United States, October 2021–June 2023

Olivia Almendares1Comments to Author , Julia M. Baker1, David E. Sugerman, Umesh D. Parashar, Sarah Reagan-Steiner, Hannah L. Kirking, Paul A. Gastañaduy, Jacqueline E. Tate, and Hepatitis of Unknown Etiology Group2
Author affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Main Article

Table 4

Individual patient adenovirus testing for children with hepatitis of unknown etiology, United States, October 1, 2021–June 6, 2023*

Patient ID Result and day of testing
Any specimen Respiratory† Stool‡ Blood (any§) Whole blood Serum Plasma FFPE tissue tested at clinical institution¶ FFPE tissue tested at CDC#
Patient 1**
P, day 13
P (B7), 
day 13
P (B7), day 19
P (NT), day 13
P (NT), day 13




Patient 2**
P, day 1
P (NT), 
day 1
N†† 
day 1
P (NT), day 2
P (C1), day 2
P (NT), day 2

P (NT), day 1
P (C), day 1
Patient 3
P, day 15
P‡‡ (NT), day 15

P‡‡ (NT), day 15
P‡‡ (NT), day 15


N, day 11

Patient 4
P, day 36
P (NT), 
day 37

P (NT), day 36
P (NT), day 36




Patient 5
N, day 0
N, day 0






N, postmortem
Patient 6
N, day 2


N, day 2

N, day 2

N, postmortem

Patient 7
N, day 17
N, day 17
N, day 20
N, day 18


N, day 18

N, day 22
Patient 8
N, day 7


N, day 7
N, day 7


N, day 10

Total no. positive/no. tested (%) 4/8 (50.0%) 4/6 
(66.7%) 1/3 (33.3%) 4/7 (57.1%) 4/5 (80.0%) 1/2 (50.0%) 0/1 (0.0%) 1/4
(25.0%)
1/3 
(33.0%)

*Blank cells indicate not tested. P, positive; N, negative; NT, not typed; B7, adenovirus species B, type 7; C1, adenovirus species C, type 1; C, adenovirus species C; FFPE, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded. †Respiratory specimens were tested by multiplex PCR panel. Specific panel type used may have varied based on manufacturer used by the diagnostic or reference laboratory. ‡Stool specimens were tested by nucleic acid amplification testing (e.g., PCR). §Includes any blood specimen type (whole blood, serum, plasma). Blood specimens were tested by real-time PCR or quantitative RT-PCR. ¶Specimens were tested for adenovirus by immunohistochemistry (IHC) at the clinical institution. Tissue from Patient 2 additionally underwent testing by PCR at the clinical institution. #Specimens were tested for adenovirus by IHC and PCR at CDC. **Child considered to be immunocompromised at the time of hepatitis onset. ††Stool was tested by PCR for adenovirus type 40/41 and was negative. ‡‡Adenovirus test was negative before patient’s liver transplant and positive after transplant.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

2Members of the group are listed at the end of this article.

Page created: March 12, 2024
Page updated: March 19, 2024
Page reviewed: March 19, 2024
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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