Norovirus encephalopathy in a previously healthy child
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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Detection and Genogrouping of Noroviruses from Children's Stools By Taqman One-step RT-PCR
Published on: July 22, 2012
Kaoru Obinata1, Akihisa Okumura, Tomoyuki Nakazawa
1Department of Pediatrics, Koshigaya Municipal Hospital, Saitama, Japan. obinata@juntendourayasu.jp
Abstract:
Norovirus causes acute gastroenteritis in all age groups. Afebrile convulsion is an occasional neurologic complication in norovirus infection, but encephalitis is rare. We report the case of a previously healthy 15-month-old girl with norovirus encephalopathy who had a poor neurologic outcome. Norovirus (genogroup II) was detected in plasma and stool by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, but the cerebrospinal fluid showed negative result for genome. Elevated concentrations of cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-6, interleukin-10, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α were observed on the third day of illness. The encephalopathy in our patient may be related to hypercytokinemia rather than to direct viral invasion.
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