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EPA Method 1615. Measurement of Enterovirus and Norovirus Occurrence in Water by Culture and RT-qPCR. I. Collection of Virus Samples
10:48

EPA Method 1615. Measurement of Enterovirus and Norovirus Occurrence in Water by Culture and RT-qPCR. I. Collection of Virus Samples

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An outbreak of enterovirus 71 in a nursery

Fang-Liang Huang1, Chao-Huei Chen, Shui-King Huang

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.

Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases
|May 1, 2010
PubMed

Insights

A rare hospital-acquired enterovirus 71 (EV71) outbreak occurred in a newborn nursery. EV71 infection in infants presents with poor activity, fever, and drowsiness, making early diagnosis challenging.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neonatal Care

Background:

  • Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a common cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease and herpangina.
  • Nosocomial outbreaks of EV71 are infrequent, especially in neonatal settings.

Observation:

  • A nosocomial outbreak of EV71 affected 37% of infants in a newborn nursery.
  • Clinical symptoms included poor activity, fever, drowsiness, diarrhea, and oral ulcers.
  • Four infants developed encephalitis; no deaths were reported.

Findings:

  • EV71 was confirmed by isolation and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  • Sequence analysis showed high nucleotide similarity (98.6-100%) among the EV71 strains.
  • Clinical presentation alone is insufficient for diagnosing EV71 in neonates.

Implications:

  • Strict hygiene protocols, including hand washing and disinfection, are crucial for controlling EV71 spread in nurseries.
  • Early recognition and isolation of potential cases are vital to prevent nursery-wide outbreaks.
  • This study highlights the challenges in diagnosing EV71 in neonates and emphasizes the need for molecular confirmation.

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