Clinical characteristics of enteroviral meningitis without pleocytosis in children: a retrospective single center observational study in the Republic of Korea

Enteroviral meningitis in children: Clinical and laboratory features with and without pleocytosis

BACKGROUND

Enteroviruses (EV) are most common causes of the etiologically known aseptic meningitis in children. EV can be detected with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. We aimed to evaluate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of children diagnosed with PCR-confirmed EV meningitis in CSF samples.

PATIENTS

Patients aged 1 month to 17 years who underwent lumbar puncture (LP) with suspected meningitis and had CSF viral PCR and culture results between September 2012 and January 2021 at a tertiary care hospital in Turkey were included.

METHODS

Patients with no virus detected in CSF samples by PCR was comprised PCR-negative group. The EV PCR-positive patients were divided into two groups based on CSF pleocytosis as enteroviral meningitis (EVM) with CSF pleocytosis and EVM without CSF pleocytosis, and compared in terms of clinical and laboratory features.

RESULTS

78 (38.2%) were EV PCR-positive, and 126 (61.8%) were PCR-negative. Pleocytosis was detected in 55 (70.5%) EV PCR-positive patients and 94 (74.6%) of PCR-negative patients. Convulsion was significantly frequent (p=0.017) in EV PCR-positive patients with no pleocytosis. Protein and lactate concentrations in CSF were significantly higher in EV PCR-positive patients with pleocytosis (p=0.048, p=0.001, respectively). Median hospital stay was significantly longer in PCR-negative group (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Diagnosing EVM with PCR prevents long-term hospitalization, unnecessary antibiotic use and healthcare-related complications.

Enterovirus Central Nervous System Infection in Infancy, the Value of Routine Testing

BACKGROUND

Human nonpolio enterovirus (EV) is a major cause of infection in neonates and infants; however, the clinical presentation and cerebrospinal fluid findings vary significantly. Infection caused by EV in patients under 1 year of age can present with a broad clinical spectrum, from fever to severe systemic and/or neurological disease.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort analysis of infants with EV central nervous system (CNS) infection presenting to a tertiary center between January 2017 and December 2022. We recorded patient demographics, parent-reported symptoms at presentation, and blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing at presentation.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight patients were included in the final study. Forty-one percent of infants with an EV CNS infection had a normal CSF white blood cell count. Clinical presentation was similar in infants with and without CSF pleocytosis. Median C-reactive protein was higher in cases of EV CNS infection without pleocytosis.

CONCLUSION

EV CNS infection commonly presents without CSF pleocytosis. Testing for EV should be considered in febrile infants with no source regardless of CSF parameters.

Enterovirus Meningitis without Pleocytosis: a Retrospective Observational Study in Adults

Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed enterovirus (EV) meningitis without pleocytosis has only been previously reported in children. In this study, we examined the frequency of EV meningitis without pleocytosis in adults and compared its clinical features. We retrospectively analyzed the data of adult patients with EV meningitis confirmed using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) RT-PCR. Among the 17 patients included in this study, 58.8% showed no pleocytosis. The median age and clinical symptoms did not differ between the pleocytosis and non-pleocytosis groups. There were no statistically significant differences in seasonal variation or time from the onset of meningitis symptoms to lumbar puncture. The peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count in patients with pleocytosis was significantly higher than that in patients without pleocytosis. The median CSF pressure showed a higher trend in the non-pleocytosis group. Patients with CSF pressures higher than normal were more common in the non-pleocytosis group. The median CSF protein values were higher than the normal values in both groups. We confirmed the high frequency of EV meningitis without pleocytosis in adults. Accurate diagnosis using RT-PCR is necessary when meningitis symptoms are prominent during an EV epidemic, and CSF protein levels and pressure are high, even if the CSF WBC count is normal.

Detection of enterovirus in cerebrospinal fluids without pleocytosis in febrile infants under 3 months old reduces antibiotherapy duration

Background

Infants under 3 months old with fever often receive empirical antibiotic treatment. Enterovirus is one of the leading causes of infection and aseptic meningitis but is not systematically screened. We aimed to evaluate enterovirus positive RT-PCR proportion in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with no pleocytosis and its impact on antibiotic treatment duration.

Methods

During the enterovirus endemic season, from 2015 to 2018, we retrospectively studied infants under 3 months old, consulting for fever without cause, with normal CSF analysis, and receiving empirical antibiotic treatment. Clinical and biological data were analyzed, notably enterovirus RT-PCR results. The primary outcome was the duration of antibiotic therapy.

Results

92 patients were recruited. When tested, 41% of infants were positive for enterovirus, median antibiotic duration was reduced in enterovirus positive in comparison to negative patients with respectively 1.9 [interquartile range (IQR), 1.7-2] vs. 4.1 [IQR, 2-6], p < 0.001. No clinical nor biological features differed according to the enterovirus status.

Conclusion

In this population, enterovirus positive CSF are frequent despite the absence of pleocytosis. However, its research was not guided by clinical or biological presentations. Systematic and routine use of enterovirus RT-PCR during enterovirus season, regardless of CSF cell count, could reduce the prescription of antibiotics in febrile infants under 3 months old without clinical orientation.

Cerebrospinal fluid type I interferon and cytokine profiles in enteroviral meningitis according to the presence or absence of pleocytosis

BACKGROUND

Enteroviral meningitis is typically diagnosed as the presence of pleocytosis and of viral RNA in cerebrospinal fluid. However, it was recently reported that more than 50% of infants with enteroviral meningitis diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction had no cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis. This study investigated type I interferon (IFN) and cytokine profiles in the cerebrospinal fluid based on the presence or absence of cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis in children with enteroviral meningitis.

METHODS

We included 51 enteroviral meningitis patients showing cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis (pleocytosis group), 31 enteroviral meningitis patients without cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis (non-pleocytosis group), and 52 controls (control group) and compared cerebrospinal fluid interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL-10), IFN-α, and IFN-β levels.

RESULTS

A significant difference was observed in IL-6, IL-8, and CXCL-10 levels across the three groups, with highest values in the pleocytosis patients, followed by those in the non-pleocytosis and control subjects. IFN-α level was higher in the pleocytosis group than in the non-pleocytosis and control groups. Meanwhile, the IFN-β level was higher in the pleocytosis and non-pleocytosis groups than in the control group (34.54 [31.23-38.59] pg/mL vs. 33.21 [31.23-35.21] pg/mL vs. 0.00 [0.00-0.00] pg/mL, respectively; P < 0.001). Furthermore, cerebrospinal fluid IFN-β was detected in all patients with enteroviral meningitis, except one (98.8%) regardless of pleocytosis, whereas it was detected in only two (3.8%) control subjects (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The cerebrospinal fluid cytokine profiles remarkably differed based on the presence or absence of cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis. Further investigations are required to determine whether cerebrospinal fluid IFN-β could be used as a surrogate marker of viral meningitis instead of cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis.