Virology of infantile chronic recurrent parotitis in Santiago de Chile.

Infantile chronic recurrent parotitis (ICRP) has been attributed to multiple causes, including viral infections, and therefore its treatment remains empirical. Our aim was to evaluate the involvement of respiratory and oropharyngeal viruses in acute episodes of ICRP. Seventy children were studied, 50 patients and 20 age-matched controls, in a 2-year follow-up study. Saliva samples were taken from the parotid duct and analyzed by viral isolation and immunofluorescence for adenovirus (Ad), respiratory sincitial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PI), influenza virus (Flu), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV). Paired sera samples were tested by ELISA for anti-Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) IgG and anti-mumps IgM and IgG. Viral infections were detected in 7/50 (14%) cases of the ICRP group: one CMV; 2 Enteroviruses isolated in human embryonic lung fibroblast cells; 1 Flu A; and 3 mumps virus. No EBV seroconversions were detected. In the control group, 2 out of the 20 children had an asymptomatic mumps positive IgM titer. Our data indicate that the main respiratory and oropharyngeal viruses are not the cause of acute episodes of ICRP in Chilean children. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.