Introduction:
Obesity has become the most prevalent chronic disorder that affects large populations, particularly children, all over the world. Although the cause of obesity has largely been considered to be multifactorial, the concept of a viral origin has been relatively understudied, in comparison with genetic and behavioral causes. Emerging evidence supports adenovirus 36 (Ad 36) as a potential cause of human obesity. We aimed to examine whether Ad 36 infection is associated with obesity and lipid disorders in Egyptian children.

Material and methods:
One hundred and thirty children and adolescents were included in this study; 80 of them were obese and 50 were controls. All participated in physical and clinical examination. Personal habits of nutrition, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory parameters including plasma glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR index, lipid profile and Ad 36-specific neutralizing antibodies were assessed.

Results:
Food habit inquiries revealed that 70% of all children had snacks before lunch, which were significantly higher in carbohydrates and fats in obese subjects (p = 0.009). No significant difference in lipid profile was found between the 2 groups. Obese children had significantly higher levels of insulin and HOMA-IR index than the controls. Adenovirus 36 IgG was positive in only 2 of the obese children. Age was positively correlated with BAZ, insulin levels and HOMA index (r = 0.29, p < 0.001; r = 0.29, p = 0.001 and r = 0.22, p = 0.013, respectively). A positive correlation between insulin and BAZ (r = 0.24, p = 0.007) was found.

Conclusions:
No association was found between obesity and infection with Ad 36 in Egyptian children, indicating that Ad 36 has a limited effect as a causative agent of obesity in the Egyptian community.