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An outbreak of echovirus 11 in a children's home

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 July 2001

E. SOMEKH
Affiliation:
The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, The Edith Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, PO Box 5 Holon 58100, Israel
T. SHOHAT
Affiliation:
The Tel Aviv Health District, Ministry of Health, 12 Haarbaha Street, Tel Aviv, Israel
R. HANDSHER
Affiliation:
The Central Viral Laboratory, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
F. SEROUR
Affiliation:
The Division of Pediatric Surgery, The Edith Wolfson Medical Center, PO Box 5 Holon 58100, Israel (affiliated to the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel)
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Abstract

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An outbreak of echovirus 11 infection was observed in a children's home that housed 16 children. Nine children younger than 1 year shared a large room on the first floor, which contained a large basin. Three of them presented with aseptic meningitis with CSF and stool samples positive for echovirus 11. The other six infants who shared the room were asymptomatic but their stools were positive for echovirus 11. Seven infants aged 1–2 years stayed on the second floor and were asymptomatic. One of them had positive stool culture for echovirus 11. No virus was isolated from stool samples taken from the 26 staff members. However, serology was suggestive for recent echovirus 11 infection in seven asymptomatic staff members. All seven worked either exclusively on the first floor or alternately on both floors. Our survey demonstrated that echovirus 11 may spread very efficiently in children's homes. The rate of meningitis in the infected infants was 30% while all the recently infected adults were asymptomatic.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press