Seroepidemiology of enterovirus D68 infection in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 2013 and 2015
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2022
Abstract
Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is an emerging respiratory pathogen since the 2014 outbreak in the United States. A low level of virus circulation has been reported in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the past. However, the extent of the infection in Malaysia is not known. In the present study, we determine the seroepidemiology of EV-D68 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before and after the United States outbreak in August 2014. A luciferase-based seroneutralization test was developed using a clone-derived prototype Fermon strain carrying a nanoluciferase marker. We screened the neutralization capacity of 450 serum samples from children and adults (1-89 years old) collected between 2013 and 2015. EV-D68 seropositivity increased with age, with children aged 1-3 showing significantly lower seroprevalence compared to adults. Multivariate analysis showed that older age groups 13-49 years (odds ratio OR] = 4.78; 95% confidence interval CI] = 2.69-8.49; p < 0.0001) and >= 50 years (OR = 3.83; 95% CI = 2.19-6.68; p < 0.0001) were more likely to be EV-D68 seropositive than children <13 years. Sampling post-September 2014 compared to pre-Sept 2014 also predicted seropositivity (OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.04-2.65). The presence of neutralizing antibodies against EV-D68 in the study population suggests that EV-D68 was circulating before 2014. A higher seropositivity post-September 2014 suggests that Malaysia also experienced an upsurge in EV-D68 infections after the United States outbreaks in August 2014. A low seropositivity rate observed in children, especially those aged 1-3 years old, suggests that they are at risk and should be prioritized for future vaccination.
Keywords
enterovirus, epidemiology, immune responses, neutralization, pathogenesis, respiratory tract, enterovirus D68
Divisions
biomedsc
Funders
Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (Fundamental Research Grant Scheme) (Grant No. FRGS/2/2014/SKK04/UPM/02/2),Universiti Malaya (Grant No. RK018-2019)
Publication Title
Journal Of Medical Virology
Volume
94
Issue
6
Publisher
Wiley
Publisher Location
111 RIVER ST, HOBOKEN 07030-5774, NJ USA