An Epidemic of Acute Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis Due to Coxsackievirus A24

An epidemic of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in 416 (10.8%) of 3,830 staff and students of the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore, India, during September–December 1979 was studied. Virus was isolated in cultures of HeLa cells from 171 of the 249 persons cultured. Most of the viral isolates were identified as an antigenic variant of coxsackievirus A24. Success in isolating the virus from conjunctival swabs was inversely proportional to the time elapsed between the onset of illness and the time the specimens were collected. In general, titers of antibody to coxsackievirus A24 were low or undetectable. Three persons had subconjunctival hemorrhage with no other symptoms, and virologic evidence of infection with coxsackievirus A24 was obtained in two of them.