Update on the Molecular Epidemiology of Human Enterovirus 71 in Taiwan Since 1998

摘要

Human enteroviruses 71 (EV71) is a major causative pathogen of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). Its infections caused devastating clinical outcomes in children worldwide. Most EV71 isolates belong to either genogroups B or C, which are each further divided into subgenogroups, B1-B5 and C1-C5. In Taiwan, a large EV71 outbreak occurred in 1998, followed by two lesser outbreaks in 2000 and 2001, which claimed 34, 25, and 26 deaths, respectively. After that, Taiwan CDC established a Taiwan Virology Reference Laboratories Network (TVRLN) in 1999 to examine the specimens collected by our sentinel physicians.