Viral meningitis and encephalitis in Saudi Arabia

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Virology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Aseptic meningitis and encephalitis are serious neurological conditions often caused by viral infections.
• Accurate laboratory diagnosis is crucial for appropriate patient management and understanding disease epidemiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the laboratory confirmation of twelve clinical diagnoses of aseptic meningitis and encephalitis.
• To identify the specific viral etiologies responsible for these neurological infections in pediatric cases.

Main Methods:

• Immunofluorescence (IF) monoclonal testing on brain biopsy tissue culture.
• Virus isolation from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
• Detection of virus-specific antibodies in CSF and serum, including CSF/serum ratios.

Main Results:

• Three cases of aseptic meningitis were confirmed: one mumps, two Cocksackie B-1.
• Four cases of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1) encephalitis were identified using IF and virus isolation/antibody detection.
• Four cases of measles encephalitis were diagnosed, with one confirmed by virus isolation and three by CSF/serum antibody ratios.

Conclusions:

• Laboratory diagnostics successfully identified the causative viruses in all twelve confirmed cases of aseptic meningitis and encephalitis.
• The study highlights the role of mumps, Cocksackie B-1, HSV-1, and measles viruses in pediatric neurological infections.