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The isolation of enteroviruses from blood: a comparison of four processing methods
Insights
Detecting viremia in children with enterovirus infections is feasible. Mononuclear leukocytes and serum proved most effective for isolating enterovirus from blood samples, highlighting the importance of optimal blood processing methods.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- Enterovirus infections can cause severe illness in children, necessitating accurate diagnostic methods.
- Viremia, the presence of virus in the blood, is a key indicator of systemic infection.
- Optimal methods for detecting enteroviral viremia in pediatric patients are not well-defined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate four different blood processing methods for their efficiency in detecting enteroviral viremia.
- To identify the optimal conditions for isolating enteroviruses from pediatric blood samples.
- To assess the prevalence of viremia in children hospitalized with symptomatic enterovirus infections.
Main Methods:
- Blood samples from 28 hospitalized children with symptomatic enterovirus infections were analyzed.
- Four distinct methods were employed: serum, mononuclear leukocytes, granulocytes, and plasma-mixed leukocytes.
- Virus isolation rates were compared across the four different blood processing techniques.
Main Results:
- Enteroviral viremia was detected in 11 out of 28 children (39%).
- Mononuclear leukocytes yielded the highest isolation rate (9/11), followed by serum (7/11).
- Granulocytes and plasma-mixed leukocytes showed significantly lower detection rates (3/10 and 3/11, respectively).
Conclusions:
- Viremia is frequently detectable in hospitalized children with enterovirus disease.
- The choice of blood processing method significantly impacts enterovirus isolation rates.
- Utilizing mononuclear leukocytes and serum is recommended for maximizing enterovirus detection in pediatric blood samples.
Abstract:
Blood from 28 children hospitalized with symptomatic enterovirus infections was processed by four different methods in an effort to define optimum conditions for detecting viremia. Enteroviremia was demonstrated in 11/28 children. Virus was isolated by method 1 (serum) in 7/11 children and by method 2 (mononuclear leukocytes) in 9/11, but in only 3/10 and 3/11 children by methods 3 and 4 (granulocytes and plasma-mixed leukocytes, respectively). In four children, the only blood isolate was from mononuclear leukocytes, and in two, serum was the only positive blood preparation. This suggests that viremia can be often detected in hospitalized children with enterovirus disease and shows that the methods used for processing blood may significantly influence the isolation rate.
