Coxsackie viruses; a review of pathologic, epidemiologic, diagnostic and etiologic observations.

Coxsackie disease comprises three clinical entities-herpangina, so-called non-paralytic poliomyelitis, and epidemic pleurodynia. Several strains of antigenically-related viruses, Groups A and B, designated as Coxsackie virus have been isolated from stool specimens and from material from the throat of many patients with the diseases mentioned. Inasmuch as the virus has also been recovered from normal persons, there is as yet uncertainty as to causal relationship between the presence of the virus and the disease. Reports of the isolation of Coxsackie virus and poliomyelitis virus from the same patient make difficult the interpretation of the findings. The diagnosis of Coxsackie disease entails animal inoculation and serologic procedures. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of obtaining stool specimens, throat washings, and "paired" blood specimens from patients suspected of the disease.