{"title":"Changing Epidemiology of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Causative Agents and Contributing Factors.","authors":"Nida Kalam, Vinod Balasubramaniam","doi":"10.4269/ajtmh.23-0852","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral infection primarily affecting children. It causes vesicles on the skin and inside the mouth. Although most cases get better on their own, severe cases can lead to complications such as brain stem encephalitis, meningoencephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis, and pulmonary edema. Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by various enteroviruses, with enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) and coxsackievirus A16 being the most common. However, recent studies have shown a shift in the molecular epidemiology of HFMD-causing pathogens, with coxsackievirus A6 and coxsackievirus A10 causing more infections. In addition, extensive recombination events have been identified among enterovirus strains, which may have a role in faster evolution and extinction of dominant enterovirus serotypes. Other strains of enterovirus can also cause severe complications, and there has been an increase in mortality associated with brain stem encephalitis in children under 3 years of age and teenagers. Currently, there are no effective antiviral therapies available to treat enterovirus infections. Vaccines against EV-A71 have been approved and are now used in mainland China. Studying the changing epidemiology of HFMD pathogens and the evolution patterns of its causative agents is crucial in developing effective prevention and control strategies. Increased interest in the molecular epidemiology of HFMD causative agents has led to a better understanding of the critical drivers of HFMD outbreaks, which can inform efforts to prevent and control the disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":7752,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.23-0852","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral infection primarily affecting children. It causes vesicles on the skin and inside the mouth. Although most cases get better on their own, severe cases can lead to complications such as brain stem encephalitis, meningoencephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis, and pulmonary edema. Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by various enteroviruses, with enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) and coxsackievirus A16 being the most common. However, recent studies have shown a shift in the molecular epidemiology of HFMD-causing pathogens, with coxsackievirus A6 and coxsackievirus A10 causing more infections. In addition, extensive recombination events have been identified among enterovirus strains, which may have a role in faster evolution and extinction of dominant enterovirus serotypes. Other strains of enterovirus can also cause severe complications, and there has been an increase in mortality associated with brain stem encephalitis in children under 3 years of age and teenagers. Currently, there are no effective antiviral therapies available to treat enterovirus infections. Vaccines against EV-A71 have been approved and are now used in mainland China. Studying the changing epidemiology of HFMD pathogens and the evolution patterns of its causative agents is crucial in developing effective prevention and control strategies. Increased interest in the molecular epidemiology of HFMD causative agents has led to a better understanding of the critical drivers of HFMD outbreaks, which can inform efforts to prevent and control the disease.
期刊介绍:
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, established in 1921, is published monthly by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. It is among the top-ranked tropical medicine journals in the world publishing original scientific articles and the latest science covering new research with an emphasis on population, clinical and laboratory science and the application of technology in the fields of tropical medicine, parasitology, immunology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, basic and molecular biology, virology and international medicine.
The Journal publishes unsolicited peer-reviewed manuscripts, review articles, short reports, images in Clinical Tropical Medicine, case studies, reports on the efficacy of new drugs and methods of treatment, prevention and control methodologies,new testing methods and equipment, book reports and Letters to the Editor. Topics range from applied epidemiology in such relevant areas as AIDS to the molecular biology of vaccine development.
The Journal is of interest to epidemiologists, parasitologists, virologists, clinicians, entomologists and public health officials who are concerned with health issues of the tropics, developing nations and emerging infectious diseases. Major granting institutions including philanthropic and governmental institutions active in the public health field, and medical and scientific libraries throughout the world purchase the Journal.
Two or more supplements to the Journal on topics of special interest are published annually. These supplements represent comprehensive and multidisciplinary discussions of issues of concern to tropical disease specialists and health issues of developing countries