Detection of enteroviruses during a 2018 hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak in Malaysia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2021
Abstract
Hand, foot, and mouth disease ( HFMD) is a common childhood disease caused by enteroviruses. In 2018, a HFMD outbreak in Malaysia affected over 76,000 children. In this study, we used RT-qPCR and CODEHOP PCR to detect the causative agents in 89 clinically diagnosed HFMD patients in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Most (62.9%) of the children were below 3 years old. PCR with either assay detected enteroviruses in 84.2% (75/89) and CODEHOP PCR successfully typed 66.7% (50/75) of the enteroviruses. Sequencing of CODEHOP amplicons showed co-circulation of multiple enteroviruses with coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) and A16 as the predominant serotypes, but not the neurovirulent enterovirus A71. CV-A6 infection was more common in children less than 12 months old (p=0.01) and was more likely to cause vesicles in the gluteal area (p=0.01) compared to other enteroviruses. Establishing a robust identification method during HFMD outbreaks is important for patient management and public health responses.
Keywords
Hand, Foot and mouth disease, HFMD, Enterovirus, Coxsackievirus A6, Malaysia
Divisions
fac_med
Funders
Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (Fundamental Research Grant Scheme) [Grant No: FRGS/1/2018/SKK11/UM/02/2],inistry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC), Malaysia [Grant No: 02-01-03-SF1210]
Publication Title
Tropical Biomedicine
Volume
38
Issue
1
Publisher
Malaysian Soc Parasitology Tropical Medicine
Publisher Location
21-5-2, BLOCK, E, DIAMOND SQUARE, JALAN 3-50, OFF JALAN GOMBAK, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA