title: [Etiology of infectious diseases in the central nervous system].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the etiological characteristics of infectious diseases in the central neural system (CNS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The serum and cerebral spinal fluid of acute patients in the CNS were detected for virus-specific IgM, IgG and pathogens with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as well as traditional bacterial and fungal culture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 823 patients, 126 (15.3%) patients were positive herpes simplex virus (HSV)-specific IgM and/or IgG, of which the maximum morbidity was under 10 years; 10(1.2%) were positive cytomegalovirus specific IgM and/or IgG; 8 (0.97%) were positive varicella-zoster virus specific IgM and/or IgG; 7 (0.85%) were diagnosed as tubercular meningitis; 6 (0.72%) as cryptocococes meningitis and 1 (0.12%) as meningococcic meningitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Viruses, especially herpes simplex viruses are the common causative agents of infectious diseases of the CNS, in which mycobacterium tuberculosis and cryptocococcus neoformans are conspicuous.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
authors.forename: Jun-long
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Shui-ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Min-hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003453:Cryptococcosis; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology; D020803:Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020306:Tuberculosis, Central Nervous System