Paralytic Disease Related to Enterovirus 71 Infection: A report of 4 cases

ABSTRACT

Enterovirus 71 (E-71) infection was first described in 1974 after isolation studies of specimens from a series of patients who had severe neurological disease. One important feature of E-71 is its ability to cause paralytic disease. In the summer of 1997, we identified 4 children with E-71 infection. The striking feature of this outbreak is the occurrence of all cases with polio-like paralytic disease. Other disease associated with E-71 infection included aseptic meningitis, meningoencephalitis, respiratory disease, gastroenteritis, and hand-foot-mouth disease. The spectrum of illness observed in our cases was compared to that seen in other outbreaks. It is suggested that the significance of E-71 infection lies in its neuropathogenic potential. There is no specific, therapeutic modality of E-71 infection but its prognosis is good except some cases.