ECHOVIRUS TYPE-22 OUTBREAK ASSOCIATED WITH GASTROINTESTINAL-DISEASE IN A NEONATAL INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT

An echovirus type 22 outbreak involving 19 neonatal intensive care uni t (NICU) patients during the months of October and November 1992 is re ported. Twelve infants presented with diarrhea, 7 of whom had bloody s tools and x-ray findings compatible with early stages of necrotizing e nterocolitis, while one infant demonstrated characteristic pneumatosis intestinalis. Outbreaks of echovirus type 22 infection in premature i nfants have rarely been reported. The possibility of Echovirus 22 infe ction should be considered in neonatal gastrointestinal disease associ ated with features of necrotizing enterocolitis.