MICROBIOLOGY

• Enteroviruses are so named because of their ability to multiply in the GI tract, but they do not typically cause gastroenteritis.
• Enteroviruses are members of the family Picornaviridae and encompass >115 human serotypes: 3 serotypes of poliovirus, 21 serotypes of coxsackievirus A, 6 serotypes of coxsackievirus B, 28 serotypes of echovirus, enteroviruses 68–71, and multiple enteroviruses (beginning with enterovirus 73) recently identified by molecular techniques. In the United States, 58% of all enterovirus infections are caused by coxsackieviruses A6, A9, and B4; echoviruses 6, 11, 18, and 30; and human parechovirus 3.