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Echoviruses are highly infectious enteric viruses that cause skin rashes and gastrointestinal infections, and can lead to severe complications such as aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, and pneumonia. There are no specific treatments, but symptoms can be managed with antiviral preparations.
Echoviruses are a group of enteric viruses that cause skin rashes and gastrointestinal infections. These viruses are highly infectious, thought to be present in the intestines of most people, and are a leading cause of fever in young children. Ecovirus infection is the most common cause of aseptic meningitis, which is a life-threatening infection. Newborns infected with an ecovirus can suffer severe damage to several body systems, and death is a very real risk.
The term echovirus is an acronym for orphan human enteric cytopathic virus. Enteric means that the virus infects the gastrointestinal tract, while cytopathic means that the virus kills the cells it infects. The term orphan refers to the fact that when the virus was first discovered in the 1950s, it was not associated with any known infectious disease. Viruses have since been found to cause infections, but the name continues to be used.
Echoviruses can infect people of all ages, but infants, young children, people with suppressed immune systems, and the elderly are at risk of serious infections. Severe symptoms of echovirus infection are more likely in boys than in girls; the reason for this is unknown. The most common method of transmission is the fecal-oral route. This refers to a mechanism in which fecal particles are ingested, often due to poor sanitation or unsafe food preparation. The only exception is infants, as the method of transmission is usually close contact with a child’s mother if she carries the virus.
The most common symptom of an echovirus infection is a fever, which can exceed 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius). Fever is usually present if the infection is mild or severe. Infected infants and children are also irritable and may have diarrhea, vomiting or skin rashes. In the absence of complications, most patients recover completely within ten days.
Possible complications of the infection include encephalitis, meningitis, myocarditis, pericarditis, and pneumonia. These are infections of the brain, the membrane surrounding the brain, the heart, the membrane surrounding the heart and the lungs, respectively. All of these infections are serious and potentially fatal, particularly in infants and young children.
There are no treatments specifically designed to manage echovirus infection. People with these infections are treated to relieve symptoms rather than eradicate the virus. An antiviral preparation called intravenous immunoglobulin is sometimes helpful in treating the infection. This treatment is an intravenous infusion of antibodies that help the patient’s immune system fight the infection.
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