MGRC

A major outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) was recently reported in China. HFMD is caused by Enteroviruses such as EV71 or Coxsackie A16. Both viruses, however, lead to similar symptoms such as fever, mouth ulcers and a rash on the hands and feet. But unlike Coxsackie, EV71 infection can lead to encephalitis which can be fatal. Cases of fatal encephalitis occurred during outbreaks of HFMD in Malaysia in 1997 and in Taiwan in 1998.*

Genetically, EV71 is closely related to Coxsackie A16. To find sequence similarities between the two viruses, SynaCompare™ can be used to conduct a rapid and sensitive comparison. The dot-plot result shows a vague diagonal line, which indicates that there is limited homology between the two viruses. Potentially, these regions could be useful in identifying epitopes that can be targeted for cross-protective vaccine design against both viruses.

To run the comparison, please follow the instructions below:

1. Click HERE and submit query.

Source: China View.

* Centres for Disease Control and Prevention