Jose Francisco

Dr. Lura Williamson

Bio: 1053- 013

12/ 01/ 2017

Coxsackieviruses

Early in this semester, my friend was really sad because of the passing of his young brother. So, I

asked what was the cause? He told me it was a very rare contagious virus that he could not

remember the name. However, a few days later he told me that the name of the virus was

coxsackievirus. I have never heard of this virus, so I decide to write a paper about it.

On this paper, I will discuss the following topics: epidemiology of the disease, symptoms,

diagnoses, and prevention.

Types of Coxsackieviruses

Coxsackievirus was named after the place it was first found; In the town of Coxsackie, located

south of Albany in New York. Coxsackievirus is a member of enterovirus, which is made up of a

single strand of ribonucleic acid (RNA). They are also called picornaviruses which means small

RNA viruses (Muller). The viruses are found all over the world and about 90% of infections do

cause symptoms, says Sabrina Felson, MD, whos a member of the American College of

Physicians.

There are two types of coxsackievirus usually diagnose in infants and children. Type A and B are

the most clinically recognized. Type A viruses are very common among children and it can affect

the throat, hand, foot, and mouth. Type B can cause fever and uncontrollable abdominal and chest

muscle contraction. Subtypes A & B viruses have more severe effects, including inflammation of
the spinal cord and brain. Even though the coxsackievirus is most frequent in children it can also

occur in adults.

Dr. Charles Patrick Davis MD, who got his Ph.D. in Microbiology (UT at Austin) states that There

are six serotypes of coxsackievirus B (1-6, with B 4 considered by some researchers as a possible

cause of diabetes in a number of individuals). Even though the viruses were first isolated in 1948

there still a lot of research underway at this moment.

Symptoms

Symptoms vary from each type of coxsackievirus but there is a general consensus which one might

feel after getting infected with coxsackieviruses, which are:

Fever

Poor appetite

Respiratory illness

sore throat

Cough

Malaise

The incubation period lasts about one to two days. After that follows the initial fever and

development of small blisters. Most children develop a rash that itches on the palms of hands and

the soles of the feet. Some patient develops conjunctivitis and these symptoms usually last about

ten days and the patient can recover completely says Dr. Greene. Which makes it hard for people

to diagnose that they actually have the viruses. He also adds that the individuals are most

contagious for about a week after symptoms begin, but because the virus can be shed by the

infected individual sometimes for weeks after the symptoms have gone away, the person may be

mildly contagious for several weeks. Thus, making it difficult to prevent infection.
Prevention from getting infected

As it was stated before, prevention is difficult but it is possible. It is important to keep good hygiene

practices such as hand washing, clean toys that have been used by affected children. Pregnant

women should avoid contact with a person with coxsackievirus because some studies have

indicated that the viruses may cause developmental and defects in the fetus. A pregnant woman

has to notify their obstetrician if they exhibit symptoms of the infection.

Treatment

There is no vaccine for any type coxsackievirus. However, general care for the infectious disease

can be performed by a pediatrician in case of children or a physician in case of an adult. In case of

severe complications, such lung or cardiac specialists should be consulted.

In conclusion, coxsackieviruses do not have a current vaccine. The virus can spread by oral

transmission, skin contact or fecal. To prevent the spread of this disease frequent hand washing

after changing a diaper, using a toilet and before eating. It is important to keep infected children

away from other to prevent others get infected.

It is as well essential to inform people about this disease especially adults that have children so

they will what to do in case of an outbreak of the disease.

Reference

Coxsackie Virus. Edited by Sabrina Felson, WebMD, WebMD, 16 Oct. 2017,

www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/coxsackie-virus.

Davis, Charles Patrick MD, PhD. Coxsackievirus Incubation Period, Symptoms & Treatment.

MedicineNet, 23 Oct. 2017, www.medicinenet.com/coxsackie_virus/article.htm.

Greene, Alan. Coxsackievirus: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention. Edited by Khanh-Van Le-

Bucklin and Liat Simkhay Snyder, DrGreene.com, 8 Aug. 2013.

Muller, Martha L, MD. Coxsackieviruses. Background, Pathophysiology, Epidemiology, 17

Nov. 2017, emedicine.medscape.com/article/215241-overview.