TY - JOUR
T1 - Persistent Coxsackie B encephalitis
T2 - Report of a case and review of the literature
AU - Berger, Joseph R.
AU - Chumley, Warren
AU - Pittman, Thomas
AU - Given, Curtis
AU - Nuovo, Gerard
PY - 2006/12
Y1 - 2006/12
N2 - Although the diagnosis is rarely confirmed, enteroviruses are a common cause of meningitis. Coxsackie B is responsible for more than half of the cases of aseptic meningitis in infants less than 3 months old, but is less common as a cause of neurological disease in older persons. In addition to aseptic meningitis, Coxsackie B has been reported to cause a wide range of other neurological disorders, albeit rarely. The authors report a young adult with persistent Coxsackie B encephalitis that was heralded by focal seizures and evolved to intractable coma with multifocal myoclonus. The diagnosis was established by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on tissue obtained at brain biopsy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) viral cultures and PCR were negative for enteroviruses. This case highlights unusual features of a persistent infection that could easily have been mistaken for a neurodegenerative or other noninfectious process. It also emphasizes the importance of performing brain biopsy on individuals with neurological disease of obscure nature.
AB - Although the diagnosis is rarely confirmed, enteroviruses are a common cause of meningitis. Coxsackie B is responsible for more than half of the cases of aseptic meningitis in infants less than 3 months old, but is less common as a cause of neurological disease in older persons. In addition to aseptic meningitis, Coxsackie B has been reported to cause a wide range of other neurological disorders, albeit rarely. The authors report a young adult with persistent Coxsackie B encephalitis that was heralded by focal seizures and evolved to intractable coma with multifocal myoclonus. The diagnosis was established by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on tissue obtained at brain biopsy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) viral cultures and PCR were negative for enteroviruses. This case highlights unusual features of a persistent infection that could easily have been mistaken for a neurodegenerative or other noninfectious process. It also emphasizes the importance of performing brain biopsy on individuals with neurological disease of obscure nature.
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U2 - 10.1080/13550280601090546
DO - 10.1080/13550280601090546
M3 - Article
C2 - 17162666
AN - SCOPUS:33845484042
SN - 1355-0284
VL - 12
SP - 511
EP - 516
JO - Journal of NeuroVirology
JF - Journal of NeuroVirology
IS - 6
ER -