Hand, foot and mouth disease: An outbreak with interesting virological features

Abstract

<h2>Summary</h2> During 1969-1970, 12 strains of virus were isolated in cell culture from 9 patients with hand, foot and mouth disease investigated at Fairfield Hospital for Communicable Diseases, Melbourne. The strains, although acid stable and producing an enterovirus-like cytopathic effect, could not be neutralized, in conventional tube neutralization tests, by antisera to any of the prototype enteroviruses. Immunodiffusion studies and mouse neutralization tests performed on selected isolates showed them to be strains of Coxsackie A16 virus. When suspensions of the strains which had proved difficult to neutralize were treated by sodium deoxycholate or filtered, the difficulty was overcome, suggesting that it had been due to the presence of viral aggregates.