Key result
The coxsackievirus A24 variant was identified as the primary etiological agent of the 2014 acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreak in Thailand, detected in 70.6% of patient samples.
Observational (n=119)
Yes
The 2014 nationwide outbreak of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Thailand was primarily caused by a new lineage cluster of the coxsackievirus A24 variant.
Informs regional outbreak preparedness; supports enteroviral surveillance yet leaves transmission and control questions open.
Acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreaks are often attributed to viral infection. In 2014, an unprecedented nationwide outbreak of infectious conjunctivitis occurred in Thailand, which affected >300 000 individuals over 3 months. To identify and characterize the virus responsible for the epidemic, eye swab specimens from 119 patients were randomly collected from five different provinces. Conserved regions in the enteroviral 5'-UTR and adenovirus hexon gene were analysed. Enterovirus was identified in 71·43% (85/119) of the samples, while no adenovirus was detected. From enterovirus-positive samples, the coxsackievirus A24 variant (70·59%, 84/119) and echovirus (0·84%, 1/119) were identified. Additional sequencing of full-length VP1 and 3C genes and subsequent phylogenetic analysis revealed that these clinical isolates form a new lineage cluster related to genotype IV-C5. In summary, the coxsackievirus A24 variant was identified as an aetiological agent for the recent acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreak in Thailand.
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Chansaenroj et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis (n=119). Coxsackievirus A24 variant infection was evaluated on Detection of coxsackievirus A24 variant in eye swab specimens. The coxsackievirus A24 variant was identified as the primary etiological agent of the 2014 acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreak in Thailand, detected in 70.6% of patient samples.