Rotavirus cerebellitis: new aspects to an old foe?

Rotavirus infection is a significant cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although infection primarily causes gastroenteritis and dehydration, systemic signs and neurologic manifestations in rotavirus infection are widely recognized. The pathophysiologic origins of neurologic signs in rotavirus infection remain incompletely understood. We present a 4-year-old girl with clinical features of severe cerebellitis in association with abnormalities detected on magnetic resonance imaging. Rotavirus nucleic acid was demonstrated in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Severe neurologic sequelae remain after 2 years of follow-up. This report adds further evidence supporting a direct role for rotavirus in neurologic illness.