More than 90 serotypes have been identified.
Includes polioviruses, coxsackieviruses, echoviruses, and newer enteroviruses.
Belongs to the Picornaviridae family.
An nonenveloped RNA virus.
Enterovirus 71 can cause large epidemics of acute illness and is closely related to coxsackievirus A16 another type A enterovirus.
Enterovirus 71 is neurotropic may cause severe meningoencephalitis
Type A enteroviruses associated with hand, foot and mouth disease which is a self limiting febrile process with papulovesicular lesions of the hands, feet, oropharynx, perineum and buttock regions.
In most cases of enterovirus 71, hand, foot and mouth disease has been a prominent feature although it can manifest associated herpangina, interstitial pneumonia, myocarditis, intrauterine infections and neonatal hepatic necrosis.
In immunocompetent hosts infection is typically self limited ranging from asymptomatic illness to hand, foot and mouth disease.
In immunocompetent hosts these viruses can also cause severe systemic disease, including myocarditis, meningitis, or a meningoencephalitis.
Enterovirus 71, like other enteroviruses, can cause aseptic meningitis.
Enterovirus infections are common in children with about 10-15,000,000 children contracting non-polio enterovirus infections in the US/year.
Manifestations of enterovirus infections include: herpangina, hand-foot-mouth disease, meningeal encephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis, hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, myocarditis, pericarditis, and respiratory tract infections.
Chronic antiviral infection, reflects a failure to generate virus. Specific neutralizing antibodies required for viral clearance, because enteroviral immunities is primary humoral.
B cell depletion in various therapies can heighten susceptibility to infection.
Childhood enterovirus infections associated with a decreased risk of leukemia in children
There is currently no antiviral therapy against enteroviruses, management is with high dose IVIG with variable response.