Prevalence and genetic characteristics of Saffold cardiovirus in China from 2009 to 2012

Zhang, Xiao-Ai; Lu, Qing-Bin; Wo, Ying; Zhao, Jin; Huang, Dou-Dou; Guo, Chen-Tao; Xu, Hong-Mei; Liu, En-Mei; Liu, Wei; Cao, Wu-Chun

One might query the higher frequency of SAFV in the HFMD patients was due to the old age and more sampling types of this cohort, in comparison with the ARTI and diarrhea cohorts. An increasing prevalence of SAFV was found in ARTI patients, but not in the HFMD patients. Thus, the age mismatch among the three cohorts might play minor roles in determining the detection rates. On the other hand, although the HFMD cohort was tested using stool, respiratory, blood, and CSF samples, an over-estimation of infection rate was not generated, because stool samples offered the highest diagnostic sensitivity. When we took no account of the patients with stool negative while other sample types are positive, a prevalence rate of 3.1% was still obtained. Thus, this effect alone might not explain the higher prevalence observed in HFMD.