01 Capsid
Twenty faces, no envelope
On the outside, the virus is covered by an icosahedral protein capsid about 90 nm across, with no lipid membrane [1]. Adenovirus is hardy in the environment: at room temperature it survives for up to 2 weeks [2].
This is not a drawing
This is what adenoviruses look like under an electron microscope. Hover over the image to see the particles up close.
Image 01 · a cluster of virions
All the particles share one size and shape: each is built from the same genetic instructions. Photo: CDC / Dr. G. William Gary, Jr., 1981. Public domain. CDC PHIL #237
Image 02 · two particles close up
At high magnification the surface looks grainy: these are the capsomers the capsid is built from. Photo: Graham Colm, Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY 3.0. Converted to grayscale.Anatomy of a virion
02 Hexon
240 building blocks of the faces
The faces of the capsid are made of 240 hexons. The hexon is the main capsid protein [1].
03 Penton
Twelve vertices
Each of the 12 vertices of the icosahedron holds a penton, the base that a fiber attaches to [1].
04 Fiber
A hook for the cell
A fiber sticks out of each penton: a thin projection with a knob at the end. The virus uses it to attach to a receptor on the cell surface [1].
05 DNA
The instructions inside
Inside the capsid is a single linear double-stranded DNA molecule, 25,000 to 48,000 base pairs long depending on the adenovirus. A terminal protein is attached to its ends [1].
Shrink 10 million times
Our special project, Dive: scroll from a playground down to a single virion. Seven orders of magnitude, with a sourced fact at every step.
Logarithmic scale · 1 division = ×10
Start the diveIf your child is sick
Start here. Everything is based on Russian Ministry of Health clinical guidelines and CDC data.
Guide
Treatment and timing
The virus and protection
Try it yourself
Adenovirus, flu or COVIDCheck the signs and compare what the CDC and the Russian Ministry of Health say about each infection→Illness timelineWhat happens each day: fever, cough, contagiousness→Quiz: 10 questionsTest what you know about adenovirus and save a card with your result→DiveFrom the playground to a virion: seven orders of magnitude→Embed the modelA 3D virion for your website, lesson or presentation→
Seven species, different diseases
01species
A
types
12 · 18 · 31
12 · 18 · 31
gut
02species
B
types
3 · 7 · 11 · 14 · 21 · 55
3 · 7 · 11 · 14 · 21 · 55
airways
03species
C
types
1 · 2 · 5 · 6 · 57
1 · 2 · 5 · 6 · 57
airways
04species
D
types
8 · 19 · 37
8 · 19 · 37
eyes
05species
E
types
4
4
airways
06species
F
types
40 · 41
40 · 41
gut
07species
G
types
52
52
gut
Human adenoviruses are divided into species A–G, each containing dozens of types [4]. Type-to-disease links are based on CDC data [5] [3]; some types cause a wider range of illness.
Every fact is sourced
Our editorial team writes every article from Russian Ministry of Health clinical guidelines, Rospotrebnadzor documents, research institute data and peer-reviewed studies. The site does not diagnose or prescribe treatment.
How we workSource hierarchy · level 1 is the highest
- Level 1Russian Ministry of Health clinical guidelinesRussian regulatory document
- Level 1SanPiN 3.3686-21, RospotrebnadzorRussian regulatory document
- Level 3CDC, WHOInternational health organizations
- Level 4ICTV, Human Adenovirus Working GroupScientific classification of viruses