[Diagnostic and epidemiological features of a coxsackie virus epidemic in newborn infants (author's transl)].

This report deals with a hospital outbreak of Coxsackie virus infections in a neonatal ward. Most infections were mild, but one boy died from severe toxicosis. Six children had an abnormal ECG. Virus was isolated from 3 children, including the fatal case. One virus was Coxsackie B5, the two others Coxsackie A9. A rise in titre in the neutralisation test with respect to Coxsackie B5 virus was found in the sera of 13 patients and to Coxsackie A9 virus in a further two cases. Four cases were diagnosed using a Coxsackie B mix antigen and 10 by means of a picorna mix antigen in the CFT. Thus the picorna mix antigen proved to be very useful in the diagnosis of Coxsackie infection in newborn infants. Coxsackie viruses were also isolated from the faeces of ward personnel and serological evidence of recent infection was found by means of the CFT. The epidemiological implications of these findings are discussed.