Headlines - Enterovirus Infections

Cosmopolitan and ubiquitous, enteroviruses circulate year-round in tropical regions and primarily in the summer and fall in temperate countries. They cause nonspecific, polymorphic infections that are mostly benign, except in immunocompromised individuals, and primarily affect children under 15 years of age. Transmission is primarily fecal-oral, but can also occur via the air, through saliva, or via secretions from skin and mucosal lesions, depending on the clinical presentation. Neurological manifestations (predominantly meningitis) are the most common, but enteroviruses are responsible for other conditions, notably hand-foot-and-mouth disease.