Enteroviruses infect an estimated 50 million people each year in
the US and possibly a billion or more worldwide. While ninety
percent of enteroviral infections are asymptomatic or result in
a mild illness, counting up the fraction of those with serious
illness adds up to a large number of people. Enteroviruses are
small, very contagious viruses made of ribonucleic acid (RNA)
and protein. The most well known are polioviruses -- the cause
of paralytic poliomyelitis, commonly known as polio. While
paralytic poliomyelitis is targeted for global eradication
through vaccination, the nonpolio enteroviruses continue to be
responsible for a wide spectrum of diseases. Infants and young
children are hit hardest, however adults are affected as well.
(Goldman, 2008). The unsettling fact about enteroviruses is that
they can spread to various organs and persist in the body for
years -- potentially causing disease long after the initial
infection. Enteroviruses are associated with at least 26
different syndromes and disease