title: [Clinical observations in the enterovirus cerebrospinal meningitis outbreak in the Płotsk region in the fall of 1995].
abstract: Clinical and epidemiological observations in a small outbreak of enterovirus cerebrospinal meningitis were presented. The epidemic consisted of 154 cases who were hospitalized in the observation and infectious disease departments of the Provincial Hospital in Płock. The outbreak started on September 7, 1995 and lasted 2 months up to November 19, 1995. The initial cases were school children. There were 92 males and 62 females, 64% of patients (92 cases) were inhabitants of urban areas. 114 cases (about 80%) were children under 15 years of age and 56 of them belonged to the youngest age group, below 7 years of age. Etiology of the disease was identified in 17 patients: one case with Coxsackie B4 virus in cerebrospinal fluid, two cases with enterovirus A9 in stool, two cases with enterovirus E30 in stool and two cases with cytopathogenic factor also in stool. In 10 cases enteroviral etiology was confirmed by the positive serological findings. There were two group of patients: I--149 cases with mild cerebrospinal meningitis and II--5 cases of encephalopathy. The course of the disease in the majority of cases was mild, although 3% of cases were severe encephalopatic forms, with symptoms of brain damage. Youngest children with disfunction of the immunological system experienced the most serious course of the disease.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data