Coxsackievirus B5 Infection and Aseptic Meningitis in Neonates and Children

Abstract

In metropolitan Washington, DC, an outbreak of aseptic meningitis in children was recognized in the summer and fall of 1972. Age-specific attack rates were highest in children less than 1 year of age. The incidence of cases showed two peaks: one in July and another in October. Coxsackievirus B5 was associated with cases occurring in July, August, and September, but was not implicated in the October cases. Seventy-six percent of the confirmed coxsackievirus B5 infections in aseptic meningitis patients occurred in infants less than 2 months old.Specific meningeal symptoms were less frequently observed in these young infants, although viral isolations were more common (13 of 15) compared to patients over 2 months of age (four of 19). Analysis of reported coxsackievirus B5 infections in Washington, DC, and the United States as a whole suggests a five-or six-year periodicity.Major outbreaks of coxsackievi¬ rus B5 occurred in the United States during the summer and fall of 1972.' Coxsackievirus B5 infections were prevalent in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area during the summer of 1972, and aseptic men¬ ingitis associated with this agent was common.

The 3A protein of coxsackievirus B3 acts as a viral suppressor of RNA interference

“…CVB5 is another prominent serotype of CVB worldwide. CVB5 infection in humans is often associated with serious neurological symptoms, such as aseptic meningitis [19, 20]. In this study, we found that CVB5 3A also suppressed RNAi as effectively as 3As from CVB3 and EV-A71.…”

“…Next, we sought to examine whether the VSR activity of 3A was conserved in CVB5, another important pathogen in enterovirus B that causes meningitis and encephalitis [19, 20]. We generated constructs for the CVB5 3A with a FLAG tag and examined its function in the reversal-of-silencing assay.…”

Pediatric viral gastroenteritis during eight years of study

“…A considerable effect of factors related to cold weather and low indoor humidity is also suggested by the clocklike precision of the annual wave of rotavirus infection in Washington, D.C., which has been more regular and predictable than that of any pediatric pathogen which this laboratory has investigated, including respiratory syncytial virus (14,20), influenza A and B viruses (15) 8:148, 1974), the traditional enteroviruses (18), and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. From our various observations, one might predict that the presence in combination of families with infants and young children, poverty, poor sanitation, temperate climate, dry conditions, and the onset of cool weather could lead to rotavirus outbreaks that would begin usually early in the epidemic season, build explosively, decline rapidly (as the number of susceptible children decreased), and especially involve infants.…”

Varicella zoster virus meningitis with hypoglycorrhachia in the absence of rash in an immunocompetent woman

“…Viruses that can cause aseptic meningitis with hypoglycorrhachia include lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (Jamieson et al, 1986) and mumps virus (Wilfert, 1969), as well as ECHO (Mirani et al, 1973) and Coxsackie (Marier et al, 1975) viruses in children. Now, VZV can be added to this list.…”