Co-circulation of multiple enterovirus D68 subclades, including a novel B3 cluster, across Europe in a season of expected low prevalence, 2019/20

Euro Surveill. 2020 Jan;25(2):1900749. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.2.1900749.

Abstract

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) was detected in 93 patients from five European countries between 1 January 2019 and 15 January 2020, a season with expected low circulation. Patients were primarily children (n = 67, median age: 4 years), 59 patients required hospitalisation and five had severe neurologic manifestations. Phylogenetic analysis revealed two clusters in the B3 subclade and subclade A2/D. This circulation of EV-D68 associated with neurological manifestations stresses the importance of surveillance and diagnostics beyond expected peak years.

Keywords: acute flaccid myelitis; enterovirus D68; novel strains; severe respiratory infection; surveillance.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Enterovirus D, Human / classification
  • Enterovirus D, Human / genetics*
  • Enterovirus D, Human / isolation & purification*
  • Enterovirus Infections / diagnosis*
  • Enterovirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Enterovirus Infections / virology*
  • Europe / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nervous System Diseases / complications*
  • Nervous System Diseases / epidemiology
  • Phylogeny
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Population Surveillance
  • Prevalence
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / epidemiology
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / physiopathology
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / virology*
  • Seasons
  • Young Adult