Open AccessFirst seroepidemiological investigation of human enterovirus 71 in Iran
Author(s) -
Mahsa Javadi,
Ahmad Nejati,
Maryam Yousefi,
Mahmood Mahmoodi,
Zabihollah Shoja,
Shohreh Shahmahmoodi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iranian journal of microbiology.
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.37
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 2008-4447
pISSN - 2008-3289
DOI - 10.18502/ijm.v13i4.6975
Subject(s) - medicine , poliovirus , poliomyelitis , antibody , titer , neutralizing antibody , enterovirus , outbreak , enterovirus 71 , virology , antibody titer , immunology , virus
Background and Objectives: Human Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) is the causative agent for many dermal to neurological diseases especially polio-like paralysis outbreaks around the world. This study, the first of this kind in Iran, aimed to find neu- tralizing antibodies against EV-A71 in serum of healthy individuals in different age groups based on neutralization test (NT).
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 547 serum samples were collected from healthy individuals who were referring for routine checkup tests (aged from under 6 months to over 31 years old) to Imam-Khomeini Hospital in Tehran during January-December 2015. Serum samples were examined by NT in cell culture to detect neutralizing antibodies against EV-A71. In the next step, some of the positive samples were subjected to complete titration to determine the exact titer of anti-EV-A71 antibodies.
Results: Of 547 samples, 310 (56.7%) were positive for EV-A71 neutralizing antibody. The presence of the antibody in- creased with age (p<0.001), and there was a significant statistical relationship between sex and the presence of antibody (p=0.009).
Conclusion: Our results demonstrated an apparent but limited circulation of EV-A71 in our society. After the worldwide eradication of poliovirus, EV-A71 which can cause polio-likes syndrome, might be the new challenge for our health care system as regard more in depth research is however needed.