title: Encephalopathy associated with influenza A.
abstract: We report a 3-year-old boy with influenza A virus-associated encephalopathy. The diagnosis was based on clinical findings, magnetic resonance imaging, repeated isolation of influenza A virus from nasopharyngeal aspirate and seroconversion between acute and convalescent sera. The clinical picture was characterized by fever and aphasia followed by seizures and a rapid deterioriation of consciousness 2 days later. This patient illustrates that influenza A-associated encephalopathy with severe neurological deficit can occur with atypical distribution of brain lesions during the course of the illness, while initial brain MRI and laboratory findings of cerebrospinal fluid are normal, including reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St Elisabeth Hospital, P.O. Box 90151, 5000 LC Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Smidt
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stroink
authors.forename: Jos F M
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bruinenberg
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peeters
mesh_terms: D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male