[When an enterovirus emerges].

Most of enterovirus infections are benign and the rate of mortality is low in countries with temperate climates. But since the late 1990s, Enterovirus 71 (EV-71) has become much more aggressive in Asian countries, with the outcome of a neurogenic pulmonary oedema syndrome and it is responsible for huge epidemics. The virological diagnosis rely upon viral isolation and identification by sero-neutralization, and upon the detection of specific IgM by ELISA and viral RNA by RT-PCR. There is no specific treatment to fight this virus, but innovative strategies, especially based on interfering RNA, are under investigation.