Molecular Epidemiology of Human Enterovirus B in Children with Acute Flaccid Paralysis from Five West African Countries - Abstract
Enterovirus genus includes many viruses that are pathogenic for humans and most of the studies focusing on the distribution of Non-Polio Enteroviruses (NPEV) were conducted
in Asia, Europa and in the Americas. However, only scarce data on the epidemiology of Enterovirus are available from Africa. To assess the molecular epidemiology of non-polio
enteroviruses and human parechoviruses in West Africa, we investigated the genetic diversity of isolates identified in stool samples from under 15 years-old children with acute
flaccid paralysis and living in five countries over a one-year period. Cell-culture isolates were first confirmed using a pan-enterovirus Reverse-transcriptase real-time quantitative
PCR assay. The second-line testing included a screening of those isolates with a panel of assays targeting the enterovirus D68, enterovirus A71, Coxsackievirus A6, Coxsackievirus
A16, echovirus species, human rhinovirus and human parechovirus. We found 417 (17.6 %) NPEV isolates from 2361 stool samples corresponding to specimens from 269 patients.
In addition, echoviruses were identified in all countries with higher detection rate (86%). Genetic characterization of the VP1 coding region of echoviruses showed 21 genotypes of
human enterovirus B including 17 genotypes of echoviruses, 1 Coxsackievirus B2, 1 Coxsackievirus A9, 1 enterovirus B75 and 1 enterovirus B84. In addition, the phylogenetic data
exhibited a sub-regional clustering of enterovirus B species in West Africa. Our data provided new insights in the molecular epidemiology of NPEV in West Africa and could be useful
for proper implementation of future vaccination. In addition, effective programs for genomic surveillance of enteroviruses are urgent needs in Africa.