Coxsackie B is a group of six serotypes of coxsackievirus (CVB1-CVB6), a pathogenic enterovirus, that trigger illnesses ranging from a mild febrile rash to full-fledged pericarditis and myocarditis (coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy).

[citation needed] Infections are most commonly spread by the Fecal-oral route, emphasizing the importance of good hygiene, especially hand-washing.

[5] For the CBV1 serotype, two-thirds of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported infections in the United States were for children under one year of age.

[4] Symptoms of infection with viruses in the Coxsackie B grouping include fever, headache, sore throat, gastrointestinal distress, extreme fatigue as well as chest and muscle pain.

Patients with chest pain should see a doctor immediately—in some cases, viruses in the Coxsackie B family progress to myocarditis or pericarditis, which can result in permanent heart damage or death.

[1] Palliative care is available, however, and patients with chest pain or stiffness of the neck should be examined for signs of cardiac or central nervous system involvement, respectively.

Some measure of prevention can usually be achieved by basic sanitation on the part of food-service workers, though the viruses are highly contagious.

[citation needed] Enteroviruses are usually only capable of acute infections that are rapidly cleared by the adaptive immune response.