[An analysis of the characteristics and etiology of hand, foot and mouth disease in a Guangzhou sentinel hospital from May to December, 2008].

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the characteristics and etiology of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in a sentinel hospital of Guangzhou.

METHODS

The epidemiological data and clinical specimens were collected from May to December, 2008 for virological investigations (viral isolation, RT-PCR and molecular identification) and phylogenetic analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 309 clinical cases were reported, and the incidence was the highest in 2-4-year-old children, among whom only 15 developed complications, with human enterovirus 71 (HEV71) as the main pathogen (64.7%). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that ten Guangzhou EV71 isolates belonged to Cluster C4a.

CONCLUSION

HFMD is an important infectious disease in children resulting from infections by HEV71 as the main pathogen in 2008, and the Guangzhou C4a strains co-evolved with the isolates from other provinces in China and the neighboring countries.