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Medical Author:

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Most people who get coxsackievirus infections have no symptoms or are only mildly ill and soon recover. People who have fever or feel ill should stay home, because the infection is contagious.

Most patients with myopericarditis recover completely, but up to one-third will continue to have some degree of heart failure. Children with myopericarditis usually fare better than adults. Severe coxsackievirus infections in newborns are fatal in approximately one-half of cases.

Interestingly, some scientists have proposed a link between coxsackievirus and the onset of juvenile (type I) diabetes. Among other things, this is based on evidence showing that development of type I diabetes is more common in the months after viruses like coxsackievirus circulate in the population. However, the link is far from proven and requires significantly more study.

The search for a vaccine against coxsackievirus has not yet been successful. However, efforts are continuing.

Electronmicrograph of group B coxsackievirus. Photo obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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