In September 1980 an outbreak of a skin eruption occurring in an infant home in Milan involved 15 children (aged five to 22 months) out of a total of 25. All of them showed a pink maculopapular rash, three had slight fever and eight mild gastroenteric symptoms (diarrhoea). The exanthem lasted three to four days and was distributed over the trunk and the face and only affected the limbs partially. Mild gastroenteric symptoms (abdominal pain or diarrhoea) were reported also by five subjects out of 13 of the staff. Specimens of stools from the 15 affected children and from the five nurses were submitted for virological examination. A strain of echovirus 25 was isolated on primary monkey kidney cells from the stools of eight children and from one adult.