[Results of virologic studies in 620 children with abacterial meningitis over a 15-year period (1971-1985)]

Cases of non-bacterial meningitis being hospitalized at the Children's Hospital of the University of Bochum in the years 1971 to 1985 were analysed retrospectively according to etiological and epidemiological aspects. Altogether 620 non-bacterial cases of meningitis were included in this study. For 378 (60.9%) children the infecting agent could be identified while in 242 cases (39.1%) the etiology remained open. In 237 cases enterovirus had been the causative agent. The average age of the patients was 6.5 years, boys were more frequently involved than girls (65% versus 35%). The majority of enterovirus infections occurred during the summer months July to September whereas (mumps) parotitis infections were equally distributed over the whole year. Yearly increases in certain enterovirus types were correlated to an increase in ECHO 11-infections in 1982, Coxsackie B5-infection in 1983 and 84 and ECHO 7-infection in 1985 based on data from the whole Federal Republic of Germany. However the majority of enterovirus-caused meningitis occurred during local endemics.