An Endemiological Study of Enteric Virus Infections

Abstract

An endemiological study of enteric viruses was conducted among 136 normal children, living in households in two socio-economic groups, over a 29 month period in Charleston, West Virginia. A repeatable seasonal incidence of enteric virus excretion was noted with over 90 per cent of isolations occurring in the months of June to October. Of 592 stools examined in District I, a lower socio-economic group, 8.3 per cent yielded virus as compared to 3.1 per cent of 966 stools examined in District IV, an upper middle class district with good environmental sanitation. Among the 77 viruses isolated in tissue cultures of monkey kidneys, 44 per cent were ECHO or orphan viruses, 37 per cent Coxsackie viruses, and 19 per cent poliomyelitis viruses. Among poliovirus carriers, and 15 family contacts, 10 individuals had simultaneous heterotypic and type-specific antibody responses. The heterotypic ones were usually present at low levels and were transient in nature. Family infection with certain orphan viruses was also evident from antibody development which occurred following isolation of virus in the sentinel child.

Geographic variation in the eukaryotic virome of human diarrhea

“…The paucity of enteroviruses in the Seattle cohort and their comparative abundance in children from The Gambia is consistent with the model that these viruses are associated with children living in impoverished conditions. Culture-based studies from several decades ago of healthy children also demonstrated a greater frequency of excretion of enteroviruses among persons of lower socioeconomic status ( Honig et al, 1956 , Otatume and Addy, 1975 ). Additionally, a recent study in Seattle showed no enterovirus detection in stools from children with diarrhea ( Braun et al, 2012 ).…”

Unraveling the social ecology of polio

“…Figure 3 demonstrates that both of these waterborne diseases have the same seasonal pattern, so are highly appropriate comparison diseases. The seasonality in figure 3 coheres with contemporary detailed virological surveillance (Honig et al, 1956). Where typhoid and polio differ is that reinfection can occur with typhoid fever (Parry et al, 2002), whereas polio infection confers lifelong immunity.…”