Objective: To investigate the epidemic characteristics of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) in children and exposed population in Hangzhou city.
Methods: The throat swab or stool samples from children with HFMD admitted in Hangzhou Children's Hospital were collected. The HFMD pathogens were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The distribution of different HFMD pathogens in HFMD patients was subsequently determined. Human enteric virus type-71 (HEV71) in stool samples from subjects, who had close or general contact to 54 severe HFMD children with positive HEV71, was detected, and these contact persons were followed-up for one month. The diversity of predominant pathogens of HFMD in the area during 2011-2013 was investigated.
Results: In 641 HFMD children, the male/female ratio was 1.4:1 and 80.3% was 1-3 years old. HEV71 was detected in 24.3% HFMD children (156/641), while coxsackievirus group-A type-16 (CVA16) and other enteroviruses were detected in 4.7% (30/641) and 71.0% (455/641) of the cases, respectively. 75.6% (118/156) of HEV71-infected cases were diagnosed as severe HFMD cases, while those for CVA16-infected and other HFMD viruses-infected were 13.3% (4/30) and 6.2% (28/455) respectively (Χ(2)=43.28, P<0.05). HEV71 was the predominant HFMD pathogens during 2011-2012, while the predominant HFMD pathogens in 2013 were the other HFMD viruses. In the 54 close contact persons or 54 general contact persons, 9 or 10 persons were detectable for HEV71, but no clinical symptoms of HFMD were presented.
Conclusion: There are no marked changes of epidemic seasons, favorable age and gender ratio of HFMD in Hangzhou area in 2013. The infection of HEV71 tends to cause the severe HFMD but the other enteroviruses have substituted HEV71 as the predominant pathogens of HFMD.