OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of viral pathogen in children with severe pneumonia in Hunan. METHOD: Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid [BALF] were collected from 122 hospitalized children with severe pneumonia in People\'s Hospital of Hunan province from January 2011 to December 2011. Nested- or reverse transcription Polymerase chain reaction (PCR or RT-PCR) was used to screen Adenovirus (ADV), Human Bocavirus (HBoV), Parainfluenzaviruses1-4 (PIV1-4), Human Respiratory Syneytial virus (RSV), Influenza virus A (IFVA), Influenza virus B (IFVB), Human Rhinovirus(HRV), Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), human coronaviruses NL63 and HKU1 (HCoV-NL63, HCoV- HKU1). RESULTS: Among the 122 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, viral agents were detected in 60 samples(49.1%), among which ADV (40.98%) was the most common virus, followed by RSV (7.37%) and HBoV (7.37%). Two viruses were detected in 21 individual (35%) samples, of which 20 were dual positive for ADV (40%). CONCLUSION: ADV is the most frequently detected viral etiology of severe pneumonia in children in Hunan during this year. And its Coinfection with other respiratory viruses was common.