title: Focal encephalitis with enterovirus infections.
abstract: We report on four pediatric patients with Enterovirus infections who were admitted to the hospital with signs or symptoms of acute, focal encephalitis. All four experienced focal seizures. Each had a cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis at the initial lumbar puncture. In all four patients the diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis was entertained. Each child improved spontaneously within a few days of admission to the hospital, and only one had residual neurologic abnormalities at the time of discharge. A brief review of these cases, and three additional cases from the literature, indicate that the enteroviruses, particularly the group A Coxsackieviruses, are rare causes of acute focal encephalitis in children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Modlin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dagan
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Berlin
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Virshup
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Yolken
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menegus
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral