Korean J Pediatr.  2004 Apr;47(4):392-398.

Clinical and Virologic Study of Aseptic Meningitis

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, Korea. csm21@dongguk.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, Korea.
  • 3Department of Clinical Pathology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea.
  • 4Laboratory of Enteroviruses, Department of Virology, National Institute of Health, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
The cause of aseptic meningitis remains mostly unknown because viral culture and identification is difficult. Thus, we report a study on 123 children with aseptic meningitis in Gyeongju in 2002 to identify the causing virus and the relationship with the clinical manifestation.
METHODS
We prospectively investigated the patients, admitted to Dongguk University Hospital, into two groups between April and October 2002. Group 1 included 123 patients diagnosed as aseptic meningitis. Group 2, the adimssion control, included 120 patients, who suffered from none-enteroviral diseases. Specimens of CSF and stool were collected to perform reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR), and enteroviral culuture was done in RT-PCR positive patients as well.
RESULTS
The male to female sex ratio was 2.2:1 and the mean age was 6.2+/-3.7 years. The clinical manifestations were fever, headache and vomiting. The RT-PCR for enterovirus, performed in 58 cases of CSF in group 1, showed 5.2% positive results and negative result in viral culture. The RT-PCR for enterovirus used in stool specimens showed 89.3% and 41.1% of positive results in group 1 and group 2, respectively. Viral culture of stool specimens showed five cases of echovirus 13 and four cases of echovirus 6 in group 1, whereas three cases of echovirus 6 and one case of coxsackie B4 were detected in group 2.
CONCLUSION
The etiologic viruses of the aseptic meningitis outbreak in Gyeongju in 2002 is presumed to be echovirus 13 and echovirus 6. Since echovirus 13 firstly appeared with various age distributions, the outbreak may have emerged due to a lack of acquisition of immunity to this virus.

Keyword

Aseptic meningitis; Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR); Enterovirus

MeSH Terms

Age Distribution
Child
Echovirus 6, Human
Enterovirus
Enterovirus B, Human
Female
Fever
Gyeongsangbuk-do
Headache
Humans
Male
Meningitis, Aseptic*
Prospective Studies
Reverse Transcription
Sex Ratio
Vomiting
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