As part of continuing, laboratory-based surveillance of
enterovirus infections in the United States, 33 state public health
laboratories reported 752 enterovirus isolates to CDC from January
to
mid-September 1983. The most commonly reported enterovirus isolate
was Coxsackie B5, accounting for 22.9% (172/752) of the isolates
(Table 2). Coxsackie B5 was the most frequently reported nonpolio
enterovirus in seven of the nine U.S. regions; it has not been
isolated in such large numbers since a nationwide epidemic in
1972-1973. In 1982, it (Coxsackie B5) was the fifth most common
isolate.
The predominant types of enteroviruses isolated each year may
vary
considerably (1). In 1981, the two most common isolates were echo
30
and echo 9, and in 1982, echo 30 and echo 11. Consistent with past
experience, polioviruses were among the most common enteroviruses
isolated; they are likely related to excretion of virus after
administration of live poliovirus vaccine.
As in previous years, most isolates came from children--52.5%
in
the 0-4-year age group (395/752) and 64.2% in those through age 14
(483/752). The most frequently reported clinical syndromes were
aseptic meningitis or encephalitis--20.6% (155/752)--the more
common
serious manifestations of enterovirus disease. Most enterovirus
infections are asymptomatic or produce mild symptoms, such as
fever,
upper respiratory tract illness, gastroenteritis, and/or rash.
Reported by Respective State Virus Laboratory Directors; Div of
Viral
Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: The above data on virus isolates were provided by
38
state laboratories with virus isolation capabilities; these states
report monthly to CDC. Thirty-three of the 38 states have
submitted
the reports on which this report is based.
CDC has collected information on enterovirus isolates from
state
health departments since 1961 and established a voluntary, formal
enterovirus surveillance program in 1969. The reporting unit is
the
patient; thus, multiple isolates from the same patient are only
counted once, and the clinical diagnoses are reported in the
following
categories: (1) paralytic disease, (2) encephalitis, (3) aseptic
meningitis, (4) carditis, (5) pneumonia/respiratory, (6) other, (7)
unknown.
This laboratory-based surveillance system has been expanded to
include isolates of noninfluenza respiratory viruses (surveillance
of
influenza virus isolates is maintained through a separate reporting
system). Regular updates of the isolation patterns of respiratory
viruses and enteroviruses will be published in the MMWR.
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