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Echovirus 15 and autumn meningitis outbreak among children, Patras, Greece, 2005

Filanthi Frantzidou1, Kamal Dumaidi, Adamantia Spiliopoulou

  • 1A' Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece. filanthi@med.auth.gr

Journal of Clinical Virology : the Official Publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology
|July 31, 2007
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

A novel Echovirus 15 variant caused an aseptic meningitis outbreak in Greece. This Echovirus 15 strain was identified in five pediatric cases, all of whom recovered successfully.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Epidemiology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Enteroviruses are a leading cause of aseptic meningitis, occurring in both epidemic and endemic patterns.
  • Aseptic meningitis presents a significant public health concern, particularly in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the specific enterovirus responsible for an aseptic meningitis outbreak in Patras, Greece, during the autumn of 2005.
  • To characterize the genetic makeup of the identified viral strain.

Main Methods:

  • Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from pediatric patients with aseptic meningitis symptoms between May 2005 and February 2006.
  • Enteroviral RNA presence was determined using molecular assays.
  • Viral typing was conducted through nucleotide sequence analysis.

Main Results:

  • Enteroviruses were identified in 57.9% (11 of 19) of the tested CSF samples.
  • A distinct cluster of five aseptic meningitis cases occurred between October 27 and November 7, 2005.
  • Echovirus 15, a new variant differing by 27.6% from the prototype, was confirmed in all five cluster cases. Other enterovirus serotypes (Echovirus 9, Echovirus 6) were detected outside this period.
  • All patients infected with the Echovirus 15 variant were male, with a mean age of 7.7 years, and experienced successful recovery.

Conclusions:

  • This study marks the first documented instance of an aseptic meningitis cluster attributed to Echovirus 15.
  • The causative agent was identified as a novel variant of Echovirus 15, highlighting potential for new viral strain emergence.

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