Persistent Coxsackie B encephalitis: Report of a case and review of the literature

Joseph R. Berger, Warren Chumley, Thomas Pittman, Curtis Given, Gerard Nuovo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)511-516
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of NeuroVirology
Volume12
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2006

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neurology
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Virology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Persistent Coxsackie B encephalitis: Report of a case and review of the literature'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this