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Virologic and serologic studies on an outbreak of echovirus type 11 infection in a hospital maternity unit
Insights
An echovirus type 11 (E-11) outbreak caused febrile illness and stomatitis in newborns. A new E-11 variant was identified, with specific antibodies found in affected infants.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- A 1971 outbreak of echovirus type 11 (E-11) affected newborn infants in a hospital maternity unit.
- The outbreak resulted in febrile illness and stomatitis among neonates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the characteristics of the E-11 strain involved in the outbreak.
- To analyze the immune response in affected infants.
Main Methods:
- Viral isolation from stool and throat specimens of infants.
- Serological testing to detect antibody response.
- Neutralization assays using prototype and outbreak strains.
- Sucrose gradient centrifugation of infant sera to characterize antibody fractions.
Main Results:
- Echovirus type 11 (E-11) was isolated from 14 infants; 41 of 188 infants developed illness.
- A variant E-11 strain, distinct from the prototype, was identified.
- Infants showed antibody responses, with neutralizing activity predominantly in 19S immunoglobulin fractions.
Conclusions:
- The outbreak was caused by a specific variant of echovirus type 11 (E-11).
- Infants mounted an immune response characterized by 19S antibodies specific to the outbreak strain.
Abstract:
An outbreak of echovirus type 11 (E-11) infection occurred among newborn babies in a hospital maternity unit in the summer of 1971. The results of studies are as follows: 1) Forty-one of 188 infants developed febrile illness with stomatitis during one and a half months from July to September. E-11 was isolated from stool specimens of 14 infants and two throat swabs. Antibody response to the virus was shown in all the 19 cases examined. Some of their mothers were suffering from subclinical infection. 2) The isolates were identified as a variant of E-11 which is not neutralized with antiserum against prototype E-11. Antiserum against the current virus neutralized both current and prototype viruses. 3) Sucrose gradient centrifugation of sera from infants revealed that the neutralizing antibody activity resided more predominantly in 19S than in 7S fractions. These antibodies reacted more specifically with the current strain than with the prototype Gregory strain.