Ismail Asra, Saahath Aminath, Ismail Yasra, Ismail Ma'ani Fathulla, Zubair Ziuna, Subbaram Kannan
School of Medicine, The Maldives National University, Male', Maldives.
New Microbes New Infect. 2022 Dec 13;51:101070. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2022.101070. eCollection 2023 Jan.
This article aims to highlight the current update on the 'tomato flu' outbreak in India. Recently there was an outbreak of a new illness in some parts of India. The disease was very contagious and it manifested with a rash mainly noticed in children younger than nine years. The rash was very painful and blisters were the size of small tomatoes, hence it was termed 'tomato flu'. A detailed literature review was performed on the virology, replication, epidemiology, and clinical features of this disease. The current outbreak was compared with similar other diseases of the past. The affected children exhibited severe rash in the palms, soles, oral cavity, and other body parts. They developed febrile illness with a sore throat, and myalgia followed by blisters on the tongue, gums, and cheeks. The affected children did not develop any complications leading to death. The therapy involved mainly symptomatic, supportive treatment with isolation and maintaining hygienic practices. The causative agent was identified to be Coxsackievirus A16, an RNA virus belonging to the family, Picornaviridae. We conclude that the recent Indian epidemic of this disease might be due to a new variant of Coxsackievirus A16 actually causing HFMD.
本文旨在强调印度“番茄流感”疫情的最新情况。最近,印度一些地区爆发了一种新疾病。这种疾病具有很强的传染性,主要表现为皮疹,多见于9岁以下儿童。皮疹非常疼痛,水疱大小如小番茄,因此被称为“番茄流感”。对该疾病的病毒学、复制、流行病学和临床特征进行了详细的文献综述。将此次疫情与过去类似的其他疾病进行了比较。受影响的儿童在手掌、脚底、口腔和身体其他部位出现严重皮疹。他们出现发热性疾病,伴有喉咙痛和肌痛,随后舌头、牙龈和脸颊上出现水疱。受影响的儿童未出现任何导致死亡的并发症。治疗主要包括对症、支持治疗,同时进行隔离并保持卫生习惯。已确定病原体为A16型柯萨奇病毒,这是一种属于小核糖核酸病毒科的RNA病毒。我们得出结论,近期印度的这种疾病流行可能是由于A16型柯萨奇病毒的一种新变种实际导致了手足口病。