[Laboratory testing of specimens from patients with viral encephalitis from some regions of China].
OBJECTIVE
To understand the viral etiology of viral encephalitis in China by detecting IgM antibody and viral RNA in the clinical samples of patients from some provinces of China by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction.


METHODS
Serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples of 771 patients with viral encephalitis or meningitis were collected from six provinces of China and were stored at -20 degrees C or -70 degrees C. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used for detection of IgM antibody to Japanese encephalitis virus, coxsackievirus, echovirus, herpes simplex virus, measles virus, varicella-zoster virus, mumps virus, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus. Polymerase chain reaction was applied for the detection of viral RNA of enteroviruses and seadornavirus.


RESULTS
IgM antibody was detected in 567 of 771 (73.5%) cases. The most common pathogen was Japanese encephalitis virus (47.0%, 362/771), followed by mumps virus (10.6%, 82/771), enteroviruses (8.8%, 68/771), herpes simplex virus (5.7%, 44/771), measles virus (0.4%, 3/771), varicella-zoster virus (0.4%, 3/771), Epstein-Barr virus (0.4%, 3/771), and cytomegalovirus (0.3%, 2/771). Enterovirus was positive in 8 cases, seadornavirus was negative in all the cases by PCR.


CONCLUSIONS
According to the study, Japanese encephalitis was the most important encephalitis in China. Mumps virus was another important pathogen. Enteroviruses and herpes simplex virus were also important pathogens.
Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
Zi-qian
ZQ
Xu
Shi-hong
SH
Fu
Yan-ping
YP
Zhang
Xing-le
XL
Li
Xiao-yan
XY
Gao
Lei
L
Wang
Yu-xi
YX
Cao
Li-hong
LH
Xu
Yu
Y
Jin
Qing
Q
Tang
Guo-dong
GD
Liang
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D004664:Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / Q000276:immunology; D018792:Encephalitis, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000821:virology*; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D008297:Male; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000821:virology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009109:Mumps virus / Q000276:immunology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012367:RNA, Viral