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Central nervous system involvement in neonatal rotavirus infection
F P R de Villiers1, A D Steele, Marie Driessen
1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, MEDUNSA, South Africa. johnchild@medunsa.ac.za
Annals of Tropical Paediatrics
|January 24, 2004
Summary
Rotavirus infection in newborns rarely causes central nervous system (CNS) symptoms, despite being a common cause of gastroenteritis. This study found no significant association between rotavirus and neurological signs in neonates.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Neonatology
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Rotavirus is a common cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants.
- While typically gastrointestinal, rotavirus infection has been linked to serious conditions, including central nervous system (CNS) involvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical presentation of rotavirus infection in neonates.
- To specifically identify and analyze neurological signs associated with rotavirus in this age group.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 156 neonates, comparing rotavirus-positive (n=66) and rotavirus-negative (n=90) groups.
- Clinical signs including apnea, jitteriness, convulsions, and poor sucking were assessed.
- Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect rotavirus dsRNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Main Results:
- Apnea was observed in 19.7% of rotavirus-positive neonates versus 22.2% in the negative group.
- Other neurological symptoms (jitteriness, convulsions, poor sucking) occurred in less than 10% of neonates.
- Rotavirus dsRNA was detected in the CSF of two neonates; one had apnea, the other no CNS symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Rotavirus infection in neonates is seldom asymptomatic and can be fatal.
- This study did not find a significant association between rotavirus infection and CNS symptomatology in neonates.
- Further research may be needed to fully elucidate the potential neurological impact of rotavirus in the neonatal population.