Infection and disease in a group of South Indian families. 3. Virological methods and a report of the frequency of enteroviral infection in preschool children.

Abstract

Feldman, R. A. (CDC, Atlanta, Ga. 30333), S. Christopher, S. George, K. R. Kamath and T. J. John. Infection and disease in a group of south Indian families. III. Virological methods and a report of the frequency of enteroviral infection in preschool children. Amer. J. Epid., 1970, 92: 357–366.—Thirty-two% of rectal swab specimens collected every 4 weeks for about 2 years from a group of preschool children in Vellore yielded an enteric virus with little variation in infection rate with the age of the child. The average number of infections demonstrated by virus isolation alone in children under 5 years was 4.1 per child per year. A large number of different virus types were observed, with polio 1–3 and Coxsackie B 1–6 viruses the commonest. Although there was a seasonal trend in the rate of enterovirus infections in children, programs of oral poliovirus vaccine feeding in this area of south India may encounter significant virus interference throughout the year.