Coxsackievirus A2 Genome sequencing. Coxsackievirus A2

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common infectious disease caused by human Enteroviruses (HEVs) belonging to the family Picornaviridae. The outbreak of HFMD in the Asia-Pacific region continuously poses huge threat to infants and young children. HEVs are positive-stranded RNA virus consisting of four species of HEV-A, HEV-B, HEV-C, and HEV-D. The species HEV-A consists of coxsackieviruses (CV) A2-A8, A10, A12, A14, and A16 and enterovirus 71 (EV71). Among these HEVs, EV71 and CVA16 are the two main causative agents responsible for the severity and fatality of HFMD. Recent sporadic occurrences and outbreaks of HFMD infections caused by CVA2 have been frequently reported in Asia-Pacific regions, such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, and Korea. The continuous transmission and evolution of CVA2 have resulted in the genetic polymorphism, and the disease burden caused by CVA2 infections might be highly underestimated.