GC: n
S: MN – http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11339 (last access: 17 November 2016); CDC – http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/index.html (last access: 17 November 2016).
N: 1. From the Greek form enteron (an intestine, piece of gut) and the Latin form virus (poison, venomous substance)
2. There are two possible definitions for enterovirus. The first one, if its capitalized, a genus of single-stranded RNA viruses of the family Picornaviridae that multiply especially in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and swine but may infect other tissues (as nerve and muscle), that may produce clinically evident conjunctivitis, encephalitis, meningitis, myelitis, or myocarditis, and that include the poliovirus and several species including numerous serotypes named as Coxsackieviruses and echoviruses.
The second one refers to any picornavirus of the genus Enterovirus.
3. Enteroviruses are common and typically cause milder illnesses in children, such as respiratory infections or even summer colds. However, when enteroviruses get into the central nervous system they can cause more serious illnesses like inflammation of the brain.
4. There are no vaccines for this strain of enterovirus, so doctors urge good hygiene as the best defense:
- Cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze
- Don’t go to work or school when you’re sick
- Remain vigilant about hand washing.
5. Symptoms range from mild to more serious and include:
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Fever
- Runny nose
- Aches and pains
- Wheezing
- Having difficulty breathing.
6. The virus has hit the headlines again recently because there have been 38 cases of it in the UK already this year. Of the 38 cases found in the UK, the majority were in spring and summer. Although there have been no reported deaths so far over here, 14 patients died from EV-D68 in 2014 in the US, where more than a thousand cases have been found, mostly in children – and it has left more than 100 children paralysed.
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=virus&allowed_in_frame=0 (last access: 17 November 2016). 2. MW – http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enterovirus (last access: 17 November 2016). 3 & 4 – NBCN – http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/mysterious-polio-illness-paralyzing-u-s-children-n658766 (last access: 17 November 2016). 6. BT – http://home.bt.com/lifestyle/health/health-concerns/enterovirus-d68-what-is-it-and-should-we-be-worried-11364106729584 (last access: 17 November 2016).
SYN: enteric viruses
S: TERMIUM PLUS (last access: 20 November 2016); GDT (last access: 20 November 2016).
CR: pathogen, pathogenic, virus.
