Enterovirus 68 in Pediatric Patients Hospitalized for Acute Airway Diseases

Enterovirus 68 was detected in 10 respiratory specimens from pediatric patients hospitalized for acute wheezing or bronchitis during 2009 in the northeast of France. Viral loads ranged from 2 x 10(5) to 7.2 x 10(7) copies/ml. Alignment of 5' nontranslated regions and phylogenetic analysis of partial VP1 gene sequences show that these viruses clustered and belonged to clade C.