Clinical Features and Peripheral Blood T Lymphocyte Subsets in Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease According to Different Pathogens

Objective To investigate the changes in lymphocyte subsets that are caused by infection with different pathogens in children with hand, foot, and mouth disease. Methods T lymphocyte subsets were measured in the patients' peripheral blood, and serum, throat swab, and fecal samples were tested for enterovirus. Results Fecal and throat swab samples exhibited similar positive detection rates, and were significantly more likely to be positive, compared to serum samples (P < 0.01). The EV71-positive group exhibited significantly lower CD4 + TM cell counts (QR: 1.058), compared to the CD4 + TM cell counts in the CoxA16-positive group (QR: 1.391; P < 0.05). Conclusions Throat swab and fecal samples exhibited significantly higher positive detection rates, compared to serum samples. In addition, EV71-infected children exhibited significantly lower CD4+ T-cell counts, compared to CoxA16-infected children, which suggests that EV71 infection may be associated with a poorer prognosis.