What are the signs and symptoms of enterovirus?

Key Facts

• Mild symptoms of enterovirus infection may include fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough, skin rash, mouth blisters, and body and muscle aches.
• Children with asthma are particularly at risk for severe symptoms from enterovirus infection.
• There is no specific treatment for enterovirus infections.

What part of the body does enterovirus affect?

Enterovirus D68. Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is an uncommon but serious neurological condition, mostly in young children. It affects the nervous system, specifically the area of the spinal cord called gray matter, which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak.

How often does enterovirus D68 cause muscle weakness?

Paralysis is not a common symptom of enteroviruses other than poliovirus, but is a possibility, according to the CDC. Enterovirus D68 generally targets the respiratory system and causes flulike symptoms, but it can get into the nervous system, and that’s how it may cause muscle weakness or paralysis, Schaffner said.

Are there any enteroviruses that cause AFM?

Many scientists have suspected that infection with a type of virus called an enterovirus plays a role in AFM. The most notorious enterovirus, which causes polio, has been eradicated in the U.S. through vaccination. But other enteroviruses are still common.

Is the polio virus the same as enterovirus D68?

Enterovirus D68 is a rare virus and is in the same family of viruses as poliovirus; it can cause mild to severe respiratory illness. This year, outbreaks of infection with enterovirus D-68 have been reported in 40 states and the District of Columbia.

How to diagnose ciliary muscle dysfunction in Adie’s syndrome?

Seventy-three percent of the patients showed supersensitivity of the ciliary muscle in the involved eye, when both eyes were treated with a mixture of 0.25% pilocarpine hydrochloride and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (Isopto Carpine). This may be a clinical aid in diagnosing Adie’s syndrome.