Key result
Among enterovirus/rhinovirus-positive samples from hospitalized children, EV-D68 was detected in 1.70% of cases, all of which belonged to subclade B3.
Why the study?
Following nationwide US outbreaks, potential links to severe illness, and reports across Asia, researchers aimed to understand EV-D68 prevalence and genetic diversity in Hong Kong children.
Observational (n=10,695)
Yes
EV-D68 subclade B3 was the only subclade found locally in Hong Kong children during 2014-2015.
May inform regional EV-D68 surveillance in children; leaves open generalizability of B3 exclusivity beyond this setting and period.
Background: Human enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) was first isolated in 1962 and has aroused public concern recently because of a nationwide outbreak among children in 2014-2015 in the USA. The symptoms include fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough and muscle pains. It might be associated with severe respiratory illness in individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions and its potential association with acute flaccid myelitis is under investigation. In Asia, EV-D68 cases have been reported in several countries. The study: We aimed to understand the EV-D68 prevalence and their genetic diversity in Hong Kong children. Methods: A total of 10 695 nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) samples from hospitalised patients aged <18 years were collected from September 2014 to December 2015 in two regional hospitals. NPAs tested positive for enterovirus/rhinovirus (EV/RV) were selected for genotyping. For those identified as EV-D68, their complete coding sequences (CDSs) were obtained by Sanger sequencing. A maximum-likelihood phylogeny was constructed using all EV-D68 complete coding sequences available in GenBank (n=482). Results: 2662/10 695 (24.9%) were tested positive with EV/RV and 882/2662 (33.1%) were selected randomly and subjected to molecular classification. EV-D68 was detected in 15 (1.70%) samples from patients with clinical presentations ranging from wheezing to pneumonia and belonged to subclade B3. Eight CDSs were successfully obtained. A total of 10 amino acid residue polymorphisms were detected in the viral capsid proteins, proteases, ATPase and RNA polymerase. Conclusion: B3 subclade was the only subclade found locally. Surveillance of EV-D68 raises public awareness and provides the information to determine the most relevant genotypes for vaccine development.
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Wang et al. (2019) conducted an observational in Hospitalized children with respiratory illness (n=10,695). Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) was evaluated on Prevalence of EV-D68 among enterovirus/rhinovirus-positive samples. Among enterovirus/rhinovirus-positive samples from hospitalized children, EV-D68 was detected in 1.70% of cases, all of which belonged to subclade B3.
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