Epidemiology of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease and Genetic Characterization of Coxsackievirus A16 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, 2013–2023

Abstract

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), a common childhood infection caused by enterovirus, poses a serious public health concern in China. We collected and analyzed epidemiological data on 62,133 HFMD cases in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, from 2013 to 2023. The average annual incidence was 76.12 per 100,000 person-years; 99.45% of cases were mild, while 0.55% were severe. Only one patient died. HFMD infections peaked annually in July. Children in kindergartens and scattered children accounted for 44.6% and 42.2% of cases, respectively. Real-time RT-PCR detection of enteroviruses in 5534 patient samples revealed 3780 positives, of which 25.1% were CVA16-positive. Positives were randomly sampled, yielding 240 VP1 sequences of CVA16. Phylogenetic tree results showed that all VP1 sequences belonged to the B1 sub-genogroup. However, the sub-genogroup prevalence varied over time: from 2013 to 2014 and 2019 to 2021, the predominant sub-genogroup was B1a, while it was B1b from 2015 to 2018. Further phylogenetic analyses showed substantial divergence between B1a branches in CVA16, suggesting possible turnover of the B1a sub-genogroup in CVA16 due to evolution. This study provides epidemiological data on HFMD in Shenyang, and provides a phylogenetic analysis of CVA16, offering a theoretical basis for preventing and controlling HFMD in Shenyang City.

Keywords

• hand, foot, and mouth disease
• epidemiology
• coxsackievirus A16
• genetic characteristics
• VP1