Evolution of Human Adenoviruses, a Double-Stranded DNA Viral Pathogen Documented Through Genomics and Bioinformatics and Viewed Through a Web Resource Database

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) remain prominent global human pathogens, particularly in dense, crowded populations. The advent of genomic and bioinformatic tools allows for high-resolution means to identify, characterize, and understand these pathogens. These tools also provide the basis for the standardization of names, as well as an accessible archive of all genotypes ("Human Adenovirus Working Group"). This overview and perspective of all the genotypes in one setting provides a better understanding of the mechanisms of their molecular evolution: genome recombination plays a major role in the emergence of novel adenoviral pathogens. In the context of the fidelity of their DNA polymerase replication machinery, this strategy provides entry into immune-naïve host populations through the acquisition of genome sequences that may include antigenic epitopes that have not circulated commonly, widely, or recently, as well as sequences encoding host cell entry proteins. Using the "chess" metaphor for describing the rapid evolution of RNA viruses, we propose a similar but diametrically opposed "White King Reigns in the Family of Human Adenoviruses".