Pekka Kolehmainen1, Anne Jääskeläinen, Soile Blomqvist, Hannimari Kallio-Kokko, Kirsi Nuolivirta, Merja Helminen, Merja Roivainen, Maija Lappalainen, Sisko Tauriainen. 1. From the *Department of Virology, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki; †Department of Virology, University of Turku, Turku; ‡Department of Virology, University of Tampere, Tampere; §HUSLAB, Department of Virology and Immunology, Helsinki University Central Hospital; ¶National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Department of Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, Virology Unit, Helsinki; and ‖Center for Child Research, Tampere University and University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The symptoms observed in children with human parechovirus (HPeV) infection vary widely from asymptomatic or mild gastrointestinal infections to more severe central nervous system infections and sepsis-like disease. Many of the disease associations are, however, only suggestive. In this study, we examined the connection between HPeV and acute otitis media, lower respiratory infections and suspected central nervous system infections. METHODS: An HPeV specific real-time reverese transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to detect HPeV RNA. We analyzed altogether 200 middle-ear fluid samples, 192 nasopharyngeal aspirates, 79 cerebrospinal fluid specimens and 50 serum and 5 fecal or fecal culture samples. Positive samples were typed by sequencing the VP1 region. RESULTS: Seven (8%) of 85 children with suspected central nervous system infections were positive for HPeV. Of these, 4 (all in autumn 2012 and from children <3 months of age) were typed to be HPeV4, whereas 1 child had HPeV3. HPeV4 was detected from stool, serum and cerebrospinal fluid. The children with acute otitis media tested HPeV positive in 2.5% episodes. In the lower respiratory cases, HPeV was absent. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reported in this study suggest that HPeV4 can cause sepsis-like disease in young infants and be present in cerebrospinal fluid. Furthermore, this report shows that HPeV findings in children with more severe symptoms occur also in Finland.
BACKGROUND: The symptoms observed in children with human parechovirus (HPeV) infection vary widely from asymptomatic or mild gastrointestinal infections to more severe central nervous system infections and sepsis-like disease. Many of the disease associations are, however, only suggestive. In this study, we examined the connection between HPeV and acute otitis media, lower respiratory infections and suspected central nervous system infections. METHODS: An HPeV specific real-time reverese transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to detect HPeV RNA. We analyzed altogether 200 middle-ear fluid samples, 192 nasopharyngeal aspirates, 79 cerebrospinal fluid specimens and 50 serum and 5 fecal or fecal culture samples. Positive samples were typed by sequencing the VP1 region. RESULTS: Seven (8%) of 85 children with suspected central nervous system infections were positive for HPeV. Of these, 4 (all in autumn 2012 and from children <3 months of age) were typed to be HPeV4, whereas 1 child had HPeV3. HPeV4 was detected from stool, serum and cerebrospinal fluid. The children with acute otitis media tested HPeV positive in 2.5% episodes. In the lower respiratory cases, HPeV was absent. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reported in this study suggest that HPeV4 can cause sepsis-like disease in young infants and be present in cerebrospinal fluid. Furthermore, this report shows that HPeV findings in children with more severe symptoms occur also in Finland.
Authors: Claire M Midgley; Mary Anne Jackson; Rangaraj Selvarangan; Patrick Franklin; Elizabeth L Holzschuh; Jennifer Lloyd; Joseph Scaletta; Anne Straily; Sheri Tubach; Ashley Willingham; W Allan Nix; M Steven Oberste; Christopher J Harrison; Charles Hunt; George Turabelidze; Susan I Gerber; John T Watson Journal: J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc Date: 2018-05-15 Impact factor: 3.164
Authors: M L A May; S Tozer; R Day; R Doyle; A Bernard; L J Schlapbach; C Heney; J E Clark; S Bialasiewicz Journal: Mol Biol Rep Date: 2019-10-28 Impact factor: 2.742