[PCR SSCP study of an echovirus 30 meningitis outbreak]

Between April and October 1997, 21 children of 4 days to 13 years old were admitted to the Pedatric Unit of Aulnay Sous Bois's Hospital for viral meningitidis. The number of white blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was between 1 and 612 cells/mm3, with, on an average, 56% of segmented cells, 34% lymphocytes and 34% monocytes. Proteins and glucose of CSF were standard. One CSF was normal. Viral meningitidis was confirmed by viral culture of CSF onto MRC5. Enterovirus were identified by direct immunofluorescence (Monoclonal Mouse Anti-Enterovirus, Dako). Serotyping (Enterovirus antisera, Eurobio, Trousses 4) identified an echovirus 30 in all cases. A highly conserved 154 bp sequence at the 5'non-coding region was studied by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) (GenPhor, Pharmacia) analysis. Two dominant SSCP patterns were observed: the first contained 4/21 strains and the other 10/21 strains. The SSCP patterns of the 7 other strains were different. These results show that 2 echovirus 30 dominant clones were responsible of viral meningitidis admitted to the Pediatric Unit of Aulnay Sous Bois's hospital, between april and october 1997. The PCR-SSCP of the 5'non-coding region of echovirus 30 is a convenient, simple, reproducible epidemiologic method and it's easily applicable in a general hospital.