Echovirus type 17 in the neonate.

An outbreak of echovirus type 17 in a neonatal nursery with recovery of virus from the stools of the seven affected infants and the cerebrospinal fluid of one is described. Intensive nursing care and supportive therapy prevented a possible fatal outcome in all instances. A further case in another community is described in which a 5-week-old child succumbed to his illness and echovirus type 17 was isolated from autopsy tissues - lung, liver, kidney and spleen. This child had presumably received poor home care. The suggestion is made that while echovirus type 17 is not frequently associated with adult disease, it may exhibit affinity for infant tissues. This is thought to be the first time that this virus has been associated with clinical disease in a neonatal nursery and also the first account of its recovery from postmortem tissues.