Enterovirus D68 disease and molecular epidemiology in Australia

Avram Levy; Jason Roberts; Jurissa Lang; Simone Tempone; Alison Kesson; Alfred Dofai; Andrew J Daley; Bruce Thorley; David J Speers

doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2015.06.079

Enterovirus D68 disease and molecular epidemiology in Australia

J Clin Virol. 2015 Aug:69:117-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2015.06.079. Epub 2015 Jun 17.

Authors

Avram Levy¹, Jason Roberts², Jurissa Lang³, Simone Tempone⁴, Alison Kesson⁵, Alfred Dofai⁶, Andrew J Daley⁷, Bruce Thorley², David J Speers⁸

Affiliations

¹ PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Perth, Australia; School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. Electronic address: Avram.levy@health.wa.gov.au.
² National Enterovirus Reference Laboratory, VIDRL, Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
³ PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Perth, Australia.
⁴ PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Perth, Australia; Current affiliate: Communicable Disease Control Directorate, Health Department of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
⁵ Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia; Discipline of Paediatrics and Child health and the Marie Bashir Institute for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School, Sydney, Australia.
⁶ National Referral Hospital, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
⁷ The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; The University of Melbourne, Department of Paediatrics, Melbourne, Australia.
⁸ PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Perth, Australia; School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

PMID: 26209392
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2015.06.079

Abstract

Background: Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has received considerable recent attention as a cause of widespread respiratory illness. Neurological syndromes such as acute flaccid paralysis following EV-D68 infection have also been reported in a small number of cases.

Objectives: To summarize the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of laboratory confirmed EV-D68 cases in Australia.

Study design: We combined EV-D68 data acquired through laboratory surveillance in Western Australia with cases from national enterovirus surveillance and regional acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance. Clinical data was obtained for EV-D68 cases and capsid protein sequences were used for phylogenetic analysis.

Results: Sporadic cases of EV-D68 were recorded in Australia since 2008, with peaks in activity during 2011 and 2013. EV-D68 was primarily associated with respiratory disease, but was also detected in cerebrospinal fluid of one patient and faeces of two patients presenting with AFP.

Conclusions: EV-D68 has been circulating in Western Australia and is likely to have also been present in the wider region for a number of years, causing primarily respiratory disease. Detection of EV-D68 in cerebrospinal fluid of one patient and in faeces of two AFP cases reinforces the association between EV-D68 and neurological disease.

Keywords: Background; Emerging diseases; Laboratory surveillance; Respiratory viruses; Viral infections.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Australia / epidemiology
Capsid Proteins / genetics
Child
Child, Preschool
Enterovirus / classification*
Enterovirus / genetics
Enterovirus / isolation & purification
Enterovirus Infections / cerebrospinal fluid
Enterovirus Infections / complications*
Enterovirus Infections / epidemiology*
Enterovirus Infections / virology
Feces / virology
Female
Humans
Infant
Male
Paraplegia / epidemiology*
Paraplegia / etiology
Paraplegia / virology
Phylogeny
Respiratory Tract Infections / epidemiology
Respiratory Tract Infections / virology*
Sentinel Surveillance
Young Adult

Substances

Capsid Proteins