Investigação de agentes etiológicos virais em casos de meningoencefalite em crianças

Abstract

Meningoencephalitis is a central nervous system inflammatory disease that can have an infectious nature. The disease can be caused by a wide range of microbes, most often it is caused by viruses, including arbovirus. In many cases, the causative microbe remains unknown. A correct diagnosis allows a better clinical management for the patients and contribute with data to epidemiological surveillance. Thus, the goal of this work was to investigate the presence of arboviruses, herpesviruses, enteroviruses, and coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with meningoencephalitis. To this end, cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients aged up to 16 years, collected at the Hospital Infantil João Paulo II between August 2019 and April 2021, were used for detection of viral DNA or RNA by the techniques of qPCR and RT-qPCR. Positive samples were selected for viral isolation attempts and partial genome sequencing. From 170 tested samples, eight was positive for enterovirus genome and one for zika virus genome. One of the samples was identified as an Enterovirus B species, genotype echovirus 6. The present study highlights the circulation of enteroviruses and Zika virus in Belo Horizonte, associated with meningitis and other neurological manifestations in pediatric patients.