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Echovirus type 7 meningitis in young children
Insights
An echovirus type 7 outbreak caused aseptic meningitis in young children, with symptoms varying by age. Human placental cells offered faster detection of the virus compared to other cell lines.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Aseptic meningitis is a significant concern in pediatric populations.
- Echovirus infections can cause various clinical manifestations, particularly in infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical and virological characteristics of an echovirus type 7 epidemic in children.
- To evaluate different cell lines for the detection of echovirus.
Main Methods:
- Clinical data collection from pediatric patients diagnosed with aseptic meningitis.
- Virological analysis using human placental fibroblast, rhesus monkey kidney cells, Vero cells, and human epidermoid (Hep-2) cells to detect cytopathic effects.
Main Results:
- The majority of affected children were under one year of age.
- Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis was more pronounced in infants younger than 7 months.
- Human placental fibroblast demonstrated superior performance in rapid viral detection and recovery rates.
Conclusions:
- Echovirus type 7 was identified as the causative agent of the aseptic meningitis outbreak in children.
- Age is a significant factor influencing symptom presentation and CSF findings.
- Human placental fibroblast is a highly effective cell line for echovirus diagnosis.
Abstract:
Clinical and virological features are presented of an epidemic of aseptic meningitis in children caused by echovirus type 7. The majority of patients were younger than 1 year of age. Symptoms varied according to age. The degree of CSF pleocytosis was inversely related to age and was significantly greater in infants 7 months of age and younger than in those older than 7 months. A CSF polymorphonuclear pleocytosis was documented in 66% of the cases. Human placental fibroblast provided a more rapid detection of cytopathic effect and improved final recovery rates when compared with rhesus monkey kidney cells, Vero cells, and human epidermoid (Hep-2) cells. Several possible explanations for the sudden appearance of echovirus type 7 activity are discussed.