Onishchenko G.G., Novikova N.A., Efimov E.I., Knyagina O.N., Petrov E.Yu., Novikov D.V., Golytsyna L.N., Osipova T.V., Okun" I.N., Kalashnikova N.A., Lipshits D.A., Gracheva E.V., Epifanova N.V., Klimova L.L., Lukovnikova L.B., Fomina S.G., Ershov V.

Aseptic meningitis season caused by enteroviruses in 2007: molecular-epidemiological aspects

Federal Service for Surveillance for Protection of Consumers Rights and Human Welfare, Moscow; Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology; Administration of Federal Service for Surveillance for Protection of Consumers Rights and Human Welfare in Nizhny Novgorod Region; Institute of Molecular Biology and Regional Ecology; Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Nizhny Novgorod Region, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Aim. Analysis of manifestation of epidemic process of aseptic meningitis and causes of its activation using molecular genetic methods. Materials and methods. Samples of feces and CSF, nasopharyngeal swabs from 296 patients with aseptic meningitis (AM), as well as 240 samples of drinking water and 6 samples of lake water were studied. Epidemiologic analysis, isolation of enteroviruses in Hep-2 and RD cell cultures, RT-PCR, partial sequencing of 5’NTR and genome region coding VP1 were performed. Results. Marked rise of AM caused by enteroviruses in Nizhny Novgorod during 2001 — 2007 was demonstrated. From August to October 2007, enteroviruses were detected in 93.8% of patients with AM (22,50/0000). Seasonal rise of incidence was determined by 9 serotypes of enteroviruses: E30 — 26 cases (53.1%), E7 — 7 (14.3%), E18 — 5 (10.3%), E13 — 3 (6.1%), E9 — 2 (4.0%), CB5 — 3 (6.1%), CA1 — 1 (2.0%), СА9 — 1 (2,0%), CA13 — 1 (2.0%). Serotype E30, represented by two subtypes, dominated. Dominating subtype E30-N1 was closely related with E30 strains isolated in 1994 — 2001 in Europe. Subtype E30-N2 was genetically related with Asian strains isolated in 2000 — 2006. RNA of E7, E9, E13, E18, CB5 viruses and dominating subtype E30-N1 were detected in nasopharyngeal swabs from patients with AM, which can explain rapid and wide spread of these viruses in susceptible population by aspiration route of transmission. Conclusion. Increased incidence of AM in Nizhny Novgorod in 2007 was caused by variant of E30 virus, which was genetically related with strains isolated in European countries in 1997.
Zh. Mikrobiol. (Moscow), 2009, No. 2, P. 24—30