[Epidemic of echovirus type 7 in Kitakyushu City in 1986--a survey of isolation of viruses from the sewage and seroepidemiology of children].

In 1986, under the Infectious Disease Surveillance system in Fukuoka Prefecture, no isolation of echovirus type 7 from aseptic meningitis patients were reported. It was unclear that epidemics of this virus occurred in Fukuoka Prefecture, including Kitakyushu City. We tried to isolate enteric viruses from the sewage (activated sludges) in Kitakyushu City in 1986. Outbreaks of isolations of echovirus type 7 started in September and continued until in December. This result suggested that echovirus type 7 caused epidemic during this period in Kitakyushu City. Sera were collected from children in 1989, and were examined neutralizing antibody titer against echovirus type 7. Antibody titers were positive in the sera of about half of children above 1 year of age in 1986. From results of virus isolations from the sewage and serological study, it was confirmed that echovirus type 7, reported no isolation in Fukuoka Prefectural surveillance system, caused epidemics in Kitakyushu City in 1986.