Coxsackievirus (COX)

Coxsackieviruses spread from person to person, usually on unwashed hands of surfaces contaminated by feces. In most cases, coxsackieviruses cause mild flu-like symptoms and go away without treatment. But in some cases, and especially in infants, infections can lead to more serious diseases such viral meningitis, encephalitis and myocarditis. There are two groups of coxsackie viruses, coxsackie A which tends to cause more severe disease, and coxsackie B. In total, there are 24 different serotypes of the virus and each serotype has distinct proteins on its viral surface and causes different disease conditions. Examples for coxsackie A include HFMD (coxsackie A16 or A6), acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis (coxsackie A24), herpangina, and aseptic meningitis (both coxsackie A and B viruses). Coxsackievirus A7 can also cause polio-like permanent paralysis. There are six types of coxsackie B (B1-B6) and they tend to infect the heart, pleura, pancreas, and liver, causing pleurodynia, myocarditis, pericarditis, and hepatitis. Specifically, coxsackie B2 and B5 viruses have been implicated in HFMD as well as respiratory infection and the B4 strain of coxsackievirus has been discovered to be a possible cause of diabetes mellitus type 1. Both group A and group B coxsackie viruses can cause nonspecific febrile illnesses, rashes, upper respiratory tract disease, and aseptic meningitis.