The Wadsworth Center’s Laboratory of Viral Diseases has identified an emergent echovirus 17 (E17) genotype affecting communities in the Mid-Atlantic region and New York City. The cluster was detected through enhanced enterovirus surveillance initiated following identification of the 2022 poliovirus case. More than 40 E17 cases have been identified, primarily among neonates younger than 30 days. Associated illness has included nonspecific febrile episodes and meningitis or encephalitis. Genomic analysis has identified at least 10 closely related, co-circulating E17 lineages. Whole-genome sequencing shows that the circulating subtype differs substantially from strains reported in the 1960s, with more than 1,400 genomic changes.
This subtype has not been detected in New York State – or, to current knowledge, elsewhere in the United States – for several decades. Collaboration with health ministries in the United Kingdom and Israel suggests that this may be part of an international outbreak. The Wadsworth Center is currently contributing to analyses of whole-genome sequence data for further viral characterization.
Ongoing work includes sequencing all NYS samples, reviewing cases for epidemiologic linkages with academic partners, and comparing sequence data among cases in all three locations. Scientists from Wadsworth, the United Kingdom, and Israel will present their findings at the International Enterovirus Symposium in Switzerland in October. The groups are developing manuscripts and a review to provide a global perspective on this reemerging outbreak.