The population-based health effect of hand, foot and mouth disease in children in Shanghai.

Background: An effective enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine is needed to control the annual outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in China. Adequate epidemiologic data relating to HFMD are needed to make decisions about appropriate public health interventions and implementation of the new EV71 vaccine.

Methods: We analyzed the population-based epidemiologic characteristics, clinical outcome and laboratory investigation of the 2011 HFMD outbreak in children based on the citywide surveillance system in Shanghai.

Co-infection with influenza A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 viruses in a patient with influenza-like illness during the winter/spring of 2008 in Shanghai, China.

Co-infection with different influenza viruses occurs naturally and plays an important role in epidemiology and pathogenicity. To monitor the prevalence of influenza viruses in humans during seasonal influenza epidemics in Shanghai, China, and to analyze the genetic characteristics of the viruses, 365 nasopharyngeal swabs collected from patients with influenza-like illness between January and April 2008, were tested by a colloidal gold assay, viral isolation in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, direct immunofluorescence assay and multiplex RT-PCR. The genetic characteristics of the viruses were analyzed by full-length PCR amplification of the HA segment.

[Type and subtype distribution of influenza virus and genetic evolution of hemagglutinin in Shanghai area in duration of 2004 - 2008].

Objective: To analyze the type and subtype distribution of influenza virus and the genetic evolution of hemagglutinin (HA) in Shanghai area during 2004 to 2008.

Methods: All 962 throat swabs were collected from influenza-like patients in 5 influenza sentry hospitals and influenza outbreaks. Influenza viruses were isolated in MDCK cell lines, and then viral types and subtypes were identified.

[Sequence analysis on measles viruses isolated in Shanghai in 2005].

Objective: To ascertain the genetic characterization and genotype of measles viruses isolated in Shanghai region, in 2005.

Methods: Measles virus was isolated from throat swab specimens collected from suspected measles cases and 450 bp fragment of C terminus of nucleprotein (N) gene was amplified by RT-PCR. Sequence analysis was conducted to ascertain the genotype and to compare the difference of nucleotide with other measles virus strain published in GenBank.