Meningomyeloradiculitis following yellow fever 17D vaccination: a case report

The yellow fever 17D vaccine contains live-attenuated virus. Initial efficacy and safety reports were favorable. Recently, however, neurologic and viscerotropic adverse events (AE) were described. We managed a 61-year-old man who experienced meningomyeloradiculitis 18 days after receiving the yellow fever 17D vaccine. The manifestations were atypical. The cerebrospinal fluid contained high titers of anti-yellow fever immunoglobulins M and G and of anti-flavivirus immunoglobulins G. After methylprednisolone (1 g/day for 3 days), intravenous human immunoglobulins (140 g over 5 days), and two plasma exchanges, the symptoms improved only slightly. Neurological adverse events after yellow fever vaccination are rare or underestimated. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of meningomyeloradiculitis after yellow fever vaccination. A remarkable feature is the intrathecal production of yellow fever antibodies, which probably played a pathogenic role and may have been related to a recent episode of influenza.