[Meningoencephalitis as the only manifestation of Epstein-Barr virus infection].

BACKGROUND

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is most often manifested as infective mononucleosis, which exhibits fever, tonsillopharyngitis, lymphadenopathy and hepatospleenomegaly, and presence of leucocytosis with lymphocytosis in the complete blood count. Neurological manifestations are rarely seen during EBV infection, in less than 1% of the diseased, most often under the features of serous meningitis, encephalitis, encephalomyelitis, transversal myelitis, neuritis, polyradiculoneuritis, convulsions etc.

METHODS

The aim of the study was to investigate the frequency and clinical features of neurological manifestations in EBV infected patients treated at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases. Clinical Centre Novi Sad, during 1997. Etiologic diagnosis was confirmed by establishing presence of the viral capsid antigen specific antibodies--EBV VCA, IgM and IgG class, in the blood and cerebro-spinal fluid, as well as according to the dynamics of their titre.

RESULTS

Most patients (94.64%), had the classic features exhibited by fever, angina, polylymphadenopathy and hepatospleenomegaly, while 5.36% of patients had neurological symptoms, that is meningoencephalitis as the only manifestation of EBV infection. Besides antibodies in sera, EBV antibodies in the cerebro-spinal fluid had been proved in these patients. In all patients, other viral etiology of meningoencephalitis had been excluded by serologic blood examination. Bacterial findings in the cerebro-spinal fluid had been negative as well. The outcome of the illness was favourable in all patients.