Enterovirus A71 causing meningoencephalitis and acute flaccid myelitis in a patient receiving rituximab.
J Neuroimmunol 2021;
358:577639. [PMID:
34214953 DOI:
10.1016/j.jneuroim.2021.577639]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
We present the case of a young woman being treated with rituximab for rheumatoid arthritis who developed a severe enteroviral meningoencephalitis and acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and stool reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing confirmed the diagnosis and additional sequencing studies performed at the CDC further characterized the enterovirus as enterovirus A71 (EV-A71). After treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and fluoxetine (based on previous reports of possible efficacy) the patient experienced a remarkable improvement over time. This case highlights the importance of considering enteroviral infection in patients treated with rituximab, depicts a possible clinical course of enteroviral meningoencephalitis and AFM, and illustrates the importance of testing multiple sites for enterovirus infection (CSF, stool, nasopharyngeal swab, blood). Here we present the case with a brief review of the literature pertaining to EV-A71.
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