What are Enteroviruses?
Enteroviruses are viruses divided into two groups: viruses that cause polio and non-polio viruses. Certain types of non-polio enteroviruses known as coxsackieviruses cause a disease known as hand, foot, and mouth disease. Infections from Enteroviruses are most likely to take place during the summer and fall. They are estimated to cause 10–15 million illnesses each year in the United States. These viruses have caused outbreaks around the worldopen_in_new.
Where is it Found?
What Can it Infect?
How Does it Spread?
Preventing the Spread of Enteroviruses
According to the CDC, these viruses can spread by the following means:
- Eating
- Having close contact with an infected person, such as shaking hands
- Drinking water contaminated with Enterovirus
- Changing diapers and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
- Touching contaminated objects or surfaces
- Accidentally ingesting contaminated water from a swimming pool or other recreational water sourceopen_in_new
People who are infected with an enterovirus shed the virus in their poop. This is how it gets into the environment and can infect other people. Regular hand hygiene and surface disinfection are important preventative measures. Also avoid close contact with anyone who is sick. Since these viruses can be found in contaminated water, proper water purification is a vital component in preventing their spread. Since household wellsopen_in_new can be a source of enterovirus infection, they should be tested regularly and properly maintained. Pools and other recreational water sources should be properly disinfected.
Get More Protection with UV Disinfection
In addition to the above preventative measures, Germicidal Ultraviolet (UV-C) water disinfection can inactivate Enteroviruses in well water, swimming pools and hot tubs, drinking water, and food prep water. Schools and daycare centers can also benefit from UV surface disinfection.
Learn about these applications:
View all UV-C Application Pages.
Our germicidal lamps produce ultraviolet wavelengths at 254 nanometers, the region of maximum germicidal effectiveness. Read our FAQ blog post to learn more. See dosage data below.
Enteroviruses: Classification & UV-C Dose for Inactivation
| Organism: | Type: | Disease: | UV Dose*: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterovirus 70 | Virus | Conjunctivitis | 10.0 mJ/cm2 |
| Echovirus 1 | Virus | Meningitis, Myocarditis, Hepatitis, Encephalitis | 17.0 mJ/cm2 |
| Echovirus 2 | Virus | Meningitis, Myocarditis, Hepatitis, Encephalitis | 14.0 mJ/cm2 |
| Echovirus 12 | Virus | Meningitis, Myocarditis, Hepatitis, Encephalitis | 13.0 mJ/cm2 |
| Echovirus 30 | Virus | Meningitis, Myocarditis, Hepatitis, Encephalitis | 13.0 mJ/cm2 |
| Poliovirus 1 | Virus | Polio | 17.0 mJ/cm2 |
* Nominal Ultraviolet dosage necessary to inactivate better than 99% of microorganisms. See sources below. Echoviruses are certain types of enteroviruses. For dosage data specific to Coxsackie enteroviruses, view our Coxsackie post.
Enterovirus Symptoms
While anyone can contract an Enterovirus infection, infants, children, and teenagers are more likely than adults to get infected. According to the CDC, disease from Enterovirus is usually characterized by the following symptoms:
- fever
- runny nose, sneezing, cough
- skin rash
- mouth blisters
- body and muscle aches
Possible Complications from Enteroviruses
Infants and people with weakened immune systems have a greater chance of having the complications listed below. People who develop myocarditis may have heart failure and require long-term care. Some people who develop encephalitis or paralysis may not fully recover. Newborns infected with a non-polio enterovirus may develop sepsis, but that is very rare.
Some non-polio enterovirus infections can cause:
- Viral conjunctivitis
- Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by certain types of enterovirusesopen_in_new.
- Coxsackievirus A16 is typically the most common cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease in the United States. View our blog post on coxsackieviruses. Coxsackievirus A6 can also cause HFMD and the symptoms may be more severe.
- Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) has been associated with cases and outbreaks in East and Southeast Asia.
- Viral meningitis (infection of the covering of the spinal cord and/or brain)
- Viral encephalitis (infection of the brain)
- Although rare, Enterovirus 71 has been associated with encephalitis
- Myocarditis (infection of the heart)
- Pericarditis (infection of the sac around the heart)
- Acute flaccid paralysis (a sudden onset of weakness in one or more arms or legs)
- Inflammatory muscle disease (slow, progressive muscle weakness)
Sources on Enterovirus
The above information can be found on the following pages.
- CDC: Enterovirusopen_in_new
- CDC: Enterovirus and Drinking Water from Private Wellsopen_in_new
- CDC: Healthy Swimming – Backyard Poolsopen_in_new
Dosage Sources
- Comparative Inactivation of Enteroviruses and Adenovirus 2 by UV Light. ASM Journals, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 68, No. 10, October 1, 2002.
- UV Dose Required to Achieve Incremental Log Inactivation of Bacteria, Protozoa and Viruses. IUVA News, Vol. 8, No. 1, March, 2006.
- Sensitivity of Bacteria, Protozoa, Viruses, and Other Microorganisms to Ultraviolet Radiation. Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Volume 126, Article No. 126021, 2021.
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