Enterovirus 68 in Children, Osaka, Japan | CDC EID > Volume 17, Number 8–August 2011

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Volume 17, Number 8–August 2011
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Enterovirus 68 in Children with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections, Osaka, Japan

Atsushi Kaida, Comments to Author Hideyuki Kubo, Jun-ichiro Sekiguchi, Urara Kohdera, Masao Togawa, Masashi Shiomi, Toshinori Nishigaki, and Nobuhiro Iritani
Author affiliations: Osaka City Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences, Osaka, Japan (A. Kaida, H. Kubo, J. Sekiguchi, N. Iritani); Nakano Children's Hospital, Osaka (U. Kohdera); Osaka City Sumiyoshi Hospital, Osaka (M. Togawa); Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka (M. Togawa, M. Shiomi); and Osaka Police Hospital, Osaka (T. Nishigaki)

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Abstract
Enterovirus 68 strains were detected in 14 specimens from children with respiratory tract infections and 1 specimen from a child with febrile convulsions during 2010 in Osaka, Japan. These strains had deletions in the 5′ untranslated region and were genetically different from reported strains. This virus is associated with respiratory tract infections in Japan.

Enterovirus 68 (EV68) belongs to the family Picornaviridae, genus Enterovirus, and species Human enterovirus D (1). EV68 was isolated from 4 children with pneumonia and bronchiolitis in the United States in 1962 (prototype Fermon strain) (2,3) and is associated with respiratory tract infections (RTIs) (3–5). The most common age group for infection with EV68 is 1–4 years of age, but ≈25% of EV68 cases occur in adults >20 years of age (5).

Because of its acid sensitivity and low optimum growth temperature (33°C), EV68 shares characteristics with human rhinovirus (HRV) (3,6) and is genetically and antigenically similar to HRV 87 (6,7). During 1970–2005, only 26 EV68 strains were detected in the United States (5). Fourteen detections of EV68 were reported during 2006–2009 in Japan: 2 in 2006, 8 in 2007, and 4 in 2009 (8). EV68 is rarely detected in Japan, and no epidemics have been reported. We report deletions in genomes of EV68 strains detected in Japan.

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Suggested Citation for this Article

Kaida A, Kubo H, Sekiguchi J, Kohdera U, Togawa M, Shiomi M, et al. Enterovirus 68 in children with acute respiratory tract infections, Osaka, Japan. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2011 Aug [date cited]. http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/17/8/110028.htm

DOI: 10.3201/eid1708.110028

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Atsushi Kaida, Department of Microbiology, Osaka City Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences, 8-34 Tojo-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0026, Japan; email: a-kaida@city.osaka.lg.jp