Enterovirus is a genus of
positive-sense single-stranded
RNA viruses associated with several human and mammalian diseases. Enteroviruses are named by their transmission-route through the intestine (enteric meaning intestinal).
EV-D68 first was identified in California in 1962. Compared with other enteroviruses, it has been rarely reported in the U.S. in the past 40 years. Most people who get infected are infants, children and teens. EV-D68 usually causes mild to severe respiratory illness; however, the full spectrum of EV-D68 illness is not well-defined. Most start with common cold symptoms of runny nose and cough. Some, but not all, may also have fever. For more severe cases, difficulty breathing, wheezing or problems catching your breath may occur.
Enterovirus 71 (EV-71) is notable as one of the major causative agents for
hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), and is sometimes associated with severe central nervous system diseases.
[17] EV71 was first isolated and characterized from cases of neurological disease in California in 1969.
Poliovirus can affect the
spinal cord and cause
poliomyelitis.
Enteroviruses can cause anything from rashes in small children, to summer colds, to encephalitis, to blurred vision, to pericarditis. Enteroviral infections have a great range in presentation and seriousness. Non polio enteroviruses cause 10–15 million infections and tens of thousands of hospitalizations in the US each year.
A 2007 study suggested that acute respiratory or gastrointestinal infections associated with enterovirus may be a factor in
chronic fatigue syndrome.
Enteroviruses are by far the most common causes of
aseptic meningitis in children. In the United States, enteroviruses are responsible for 30,000 to 50,000 meningitis hospitalizations per year as a result of 10–15 million infections.
Poliomyelitis primarily via the fecal-oral route
Enterovirus - Wikipedia
Main causes of fecal–oral disease transmission include lack of adequate
sanitation (leading to
open defecation), and poor
hygiene practices. If soil or
water bodies are polluted with fecal material, humans can be infected with
waterborne diseases or
soil-transmitted diseases. Fecal contamination of food is another form of fecal-oral transmission.
Washing hands properly after changing a baby's diaper or after performing
anal hygiene can prevent
foodborne illness from spreading.
The common factors in the fecal-oral route can be summarized as five Fs: fingers, flies, fields, fluids, and food.
Analingus, the sexual practice of licking or inserting the tongue into the anus of a partner, is another route. Diseases caused by fecal-oral transmission include
diarrhea,
typhoid,
cholera,
polio and
hepatitis.
Rather than only concentrating on human feces,
animal feces should also be included in the F-diagram.
Examples
Transmission
The process of transmission may be simple or involve multiple steps. Some examples of routes of fecal–oral transmission include:
- water that has come in contact with feces (for example due to groundwater pollution from pit latrines) and is then not treated properly before drinking;
- by shaking someone's hand that has been contaminated by stool, changing a child's diapers, working in the garden or dealing with livestock or house pets.
- food that has been prepared in the presence of fecal matter;
- disease vectors, like houseflies, spreading contamination from inadequate fecal disposal such as open defecation;
- poor or absent hand washing after using the toilet or handling feces (such as changing diapers)
- poor or absent cleaning of anything that has been in contact with feces;
- sexual practices that may involve oral contact with feces, such as anilingus, coprophilia or "ass to mouth".
- eating feces, in children, or in a mental disorder called coprophagia
- eating soil (geophagia)
Fecal–oral route - Wikipedia
