Neonatal coxsackievirus group B infections: experience of a single department of neonatology.

Coxsackie infections in 14 infants born in a single neonatal unit were studied. The clinical presentation was mild nonspecific disease in eight infants and an overwhelming multiorgan disease in six. Three infants with systemic disease died. Vertical transmission of the virus from a colonized mother was documented in five mothers who infected seven infants. The remaining seven infants were infected horizontally, presumably from infected personnel. Coxsackie B1 was isolated in four of the cases and type B3 in two cases of systemic disease. Intravenous gammaglobulin combined with human leukocyte interferon was utilized in three cases of overwhelming disease and two infants of these infants survived.