The emergence of enterovirus 71 as a major cause of acute neurological disease in young children of the Asia-Pacific region

Article type: Research Article

Authors: McMinn, Peter Charles

Affiliations: Division of Virology, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Perth W.A. Australia

Note: [] Correspondence: Peter Charles McMinn, MD, PhD, FRCPA, FRCPath, Division of Virology, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, 100 Roberts Road, Subiaco W.A. 6008 Australia. Tel.: +61 8 9489 7896; Fax: +61 8 9489 7700; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Since its discovery in 1970, enterovirus 71 (EV71) has increasingly been recognized as a cause of epidemics of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) associated with severe neurological complications in a proportion of cases. There has been a large increase in EV71 epidemic activity throughout the Asia-Pacific region since 1997. Recent HFMD epidemics have been associated with a severe form of brainstem encephalitis associated with pulmonary edema and high case-fatality rates. The emergence of EV71 activity in the Asia-Pacific region has been associated with the circulation of several distinct genetic lineages that appear to be undergoing rapid evolutionary change. In this review, I will present a synopsis of recent research into the epidemiology and evolution of EV71 in the Asia-Pacific region, the neurological diseases attributable to EV71 infection and the prospects for control of EV71 infections through public health interventions and the development of new antiviral agents and vaccines.

Keywords: Enterovirus 71, neurological disease, Asia-Pacific region

Journal: Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 17-23, 2006