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In recent months, media reports have highlighted cases of apparently unexplained hepatitis in otherwise healthy children. Two different case series from the U.K. and the U.S. have shed some light on a potential cause.
The U.K. series included 44 children (median age, 4 years) with confirmed acute hepatitis and no identified viral or nonviral cause who were referred from various regions of the country to a liver-transplant center. Jaundice (93%) and vomiting (54%) were the major presenting symptoms. Human adenovirus was detected in 90% of children who underwent molecular testing, but many also tested positive for other viral infections (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, enterovirus/rhinovirus). Six developed liver failure that required transplant, and none d…