ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the etiology and clinical manifestations of 70 patients with hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The viral RNA from the pharynx swab samples were extracted and collected from 70 HFMD patients (of which, 60 cases were under 5 years old) to detect the 5'-UTR gene of EV, the Vp3-Vp1 genes of EV71 and Cox-A16 by utilizing the technique of RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of 70 HFMD patients, 30 cases (42.8%, 30/70) were positive in enterovirus nucleic acid, including EV71 and Cox-A16, pharynx swab sample testing. While, of the enteroviral pathogen RNA-positive 30 cases, EV71 accounted for 66.7% (20/30). The proportion of etiological positive of 39 samples collected within 4 days after onset was 66.7% (26/39), but the probability of 31 samples collected after more than 5 days after onset was 12.9% (4/31), the difference was significantly (chi(2) = 20.4, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HFMD patients were mainly infants and young children between 0-5 years old, but adults could also be attacked. The enterovirus detected was mainly EV71, and the pharynx swab samples should be collected within 4 days after onset to increase the related viral nucleic acid positive detection probability.</p>