During a 1986 outbreak of enterovirus 71 in Australia, 51% of hospitalized patients (33 of 65) had central nervous system involvement, highlighting meningoencephalitis as a major cause of morbidity.
Observational (n=114)
Enterovirus 71 infection can cause significant neurologic and respiratory morbidity, particularly meningoencephalitis in infants and young children, in addition to hand, foot and mouth disease.
An outbreak of infections caused by enterovirus 71 occurred in southeastern Australia during the winter of 1986. Infection was confirmed by virus isolation or serology in 114 patients, 65 of whom were admitted to hospital. Fifty-one percent of inpatients were infants younger than 12 months old and 85% were younger than 5 years old. Many cases of hand, foot and mouth disease occurred in the community during the epidemic, but 51% (33 of 65) of patients admitted to hospital had central nervous system involvement, often associated with severe symptoms. Six patients had encephalitis and one had a poliomyelitis-like paralytic illness. Various skin manifestations other than hand, foot and mouth disease occurred, especially in young children, and 25 patients had significant respiratory disease including at least 7 with pneumonia. Enterovirus 71 is one of very few viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease as well as a variety of other clinical manifestations. The most important of these is meningoencephalitis, which causes significant morbidity, especially in infants and young children.
Gilbert et al. (1988) conducted an observational in Enterovirus 71 infection (n=114). Enterovirus 71 infection was evaluated on Clinical manifestations including central nervous system involvement. During a 1986 outbreak of enterovirus 71 in Australia, 51% of hospitalized patients (33 of 65) had central nervous system involvement, highlighting meningoencephalitis as a major cause of morbidity.
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