Preprint Communication Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Epidemiological and Genetic Characterization of Coxsackievirus A6–associated Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2022

Ji-eun Lee
* ORCID logo ,
Minji Kim
,
Mihyeon Lim
,
Sueji Han
,
Jinyeong Kim
,
Soohoo Kim
,
Yiduen Ha
,
Gyungli Gang
,
Yoon-Seok Chung
* ORCID logo ,
Jungmi Seo
Version 1 : Received: 28 February 2024 / Approved: 28 February 2024 / Online: 28 February 2024 (08:10:37 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Lee, J.-E.; Kim, M.-J.; Lim, M.-H.; Han, S.-J.; Kim, J.-Y.; Kim, S.-H.; Ha, Y.-D.; Gang, G.-L.; Chung, Y.-S.; Seo, J.-M. Epidemiological and Genetic Characterization of Coxsackievirus A6-Associated Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2022. Viruses 2024, 16, 476. Lee, J.-E.; Kim, M.-J.; Lim, M.-H.; Han, S.-J.; Kim, J.-Y.; Kim, S.-H.; Ha, Y.-D.; Gang, G.-L.; Chung, Y.-S.; Seo, J.-M. Epidemiological and Genetic Characterization of Coxsackievirus A6-Associated Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2022. Viruses 2024, 16, 476.

Abstract

Coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) has emerged as the predominant causative agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in young children. Since the declaration of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic, the incidence of infectious diseases, including HFMD, has decreased markedly. When social mitigation was relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, re-emergence of HFMD was observed in Gwangju, South Korea, and seasonal characteristics of the disease appeared to have changed. To investigate the molecular characteristics of enterovirus (EV) associated with HFMD during 2022, 277 specimens were collected. Children aged under 5 years accounted for the majority of affected individuals. EV detection and genotyping were performed using real-time RT-PCR and nested RT-PCR followed by sequence analysis. EV detection rate was found to be 82.3%, and the main genotype identified was CV-A6. Sixteen CV-A6 samples were selected for whole genome sequencing. According to phylogenetic analysis, all CV-A6 strains from this study belonged to the sub-genotype D3 clade based on VP1 sequences. Analysis of 3D polymerase phylogeny showed that only the recombinant RF-A group was identified. In conclusion, circulating EV types should be continuously monitored to understand pathogen emergence and evolution during the post-pandemic era.

Keywords

HFMD; coxsackievirus A6; molecular epidemiology; phylogenetic tree

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Virology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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