Detection and characterization of enteroviruses and parechoviruses in healthy people living in the South of Côte d'Ivoire.

Abstract Background Human enteroviruses (EVs) and parechoviruses (HPeVs) belong to the family Picornaviridae. Although most EV and HPeV infections remain asymptomatic, both pathogens can cause a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms to myocarditis, neonatal sepsis, and infections of the central nervous system. Objectives Aim of the present study was to investigate the spectrum of EVs and HPeVs in apparently healthy adults and children living in the South of Cote d’Ivoire. Study design The study included 105 stool samples obtained from healthy individuals aged 0–53 years between June 2013 and December 2014 in the Sud-Como region of Cote d’Ivoire. After collection and shipment to Germany, the samples were analyzed by real-time PCR for the presence of EVs and HPeVs RNA. Molecular typing and virus isolation of all samples were performed.’’e Results Out of 105 samples, 24 (22.8%) were EV positive and six (5.2%) were HPeV positive. Twenty-one EV positive samples could be characterized with serotypes belonging to EV group A–C, while three could not be further specified. Interestingly, several rarely described serotypes were identified, e.g., EV-C99, EV-B93, EV-C116, and EV-A119. Typing of HPeV positive samples resulted in HPeV-1 and -5 detections, while one isolate could not be assigned to the known HPeV types. Conclusions This study showed a large variety of EV strains in healthy people in the South of Cote d’Ivoire and provided the first available data about HPeV infections in a sub-Saharan African country.