Enteroviruses are a genus of positive-sense single-stranded
RNA viruses associated with several human and mammalian diseases.
Serologic studies have distinguished 71 human enterovirus
serotypes on the basis of
antibody neutralization tests. Additional
antigenic variants have been defined within several of the serotypes on the basis of reduced or nonreciprocal cross-neutralization between variant strains. On the basis of their
pathogenesis in humans and animals, the enteroviruses were originally classified into four groups,
polioviruses,
Coxsackie A viruses (CA),
Coxsackie B viruses (CB), and
echoviruses, but it was quickly realized that there were significant overlaps in the biological properties of viruses in the different groups. Enteroviruses isolated more recently are named with a system of consecutive numbers:
EV68, EV69, EV70,
EV71, etc.