Coxsackievirus Infection in Children under Three Months of Age

Abstract

Coxsackievirus (CV) infection in infants under 3 months of age results in significant morbidity and mortality. In this age group Coxsackie B (CVB) infection, which is more virulent than Coxsackie A (CVA), leads to an estimated hospitalization of approximately 50–364 infants per/100,000 live births/year, with a mortality of 3.9 per 100,000 live births each year.1 This contrasts with an estimate by Nahmias of the attack rate of Herpes simplex infection of the newborn of 3.3–29 cases per 100,000 live births each year with a mortality of 60%.2 Unfortunately, there is little current epidemiologic monitoring of this infection in the newborn, and there is no uniform reporting system for fatal CVB infection or nosocomial infection within the United States.3