Epidemiology characteristics of human coxsackievirus A16 and enterovirus 71 circulating from 2009 to 2017 in Linyi, China.

In China, a rapid expansion of Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) outbreaks has occurred since 2004 and HFMD has become an important issue for China. There are more than 20 types of enterovirus causing HFMD, of which Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) and enterovirus 71 (EV71) are the most common. To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of HFMD caused by EV71 and CA16 in Linyi, Shandong province, China from 2009 to 2017. 5324 stool specimens or throat samples were collected from 5324 HFMD cases for nucleic acid detection of enterovirus. 4040 HFMD cases caused by viral pathogens contained 1706 EV71 positive cases and 1266 CA16 positive cases, and the two viruses appeared alternately in Linyi city. Among the EV71 and CA16 positive cases, incidence was highest in 0-5-year old children, with males being predominant. This outbreak of HMFD caused by EV71 and CA16 mainly occurred between April and July, and appeared alternately in 2011-2017 years. These results demonstrated that epidemiological analysis of EV71 and CA16 can provide scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of the disease.