Nosocomial transmission of echovirus 30: Molecular evidence by phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 encoding sequence

We investigated six cases of enterovirus infection in a neonatal unit. The index patient, a 5-day-old boy, was admitted with aseptic meningitis due to echovirus 30 (E30). Secondary infections with E30 occurred in five babies. Comparison of the complete VP1 sequences showed that the isolates recovere d from the index patient and his mother were closely related to those recov ered from the five babies with secondary infections, demonstrating a nosoco mial transmission of the virus. In the phylogenetic tree reconstructed from the VP1 sequences, the isolates formed a monophyletic cluster related to a n E30 strain collected in June 1997 during an outbreak of aseptic meningiti s.