Astrovirus encephalitis in boy with X-linked agammaglobulinemia.
Encephalitis is a major cause of death worldwide. Although >100 pathogens have been identified as causative agents, the pathogen is not determined for up to 75% of cases. This diagnostic failure impedes effective treatment and underscores the need for better tools and new approaches for detecting novel pathogens or determining new manifestations of known pathogens. Although astroviruses are commonly associated with gastroenteritis, they have not been associated with central nervous system disease. Using unbiased pyrosequencing, we detected an astrovirus as the causative agent for encephalitis in a 15-year-old boy with agammaglobulinemia; several laboratories had failed to identify the agent. Our findings expand the spectrum of causative agents associated with encephalitis and highlight unbiased molecular technology as a valuable tool for differential diagnosis of unexplained disease.
Quan
Phenix Lan
PL
Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Wagner
Thor A
TA
Briese
Thomas
T
Torgerson
Troy R
TR
Hornig
Mady
M
Tashmukhamedova
Alla
A
Firth
Cadhla
C
Palacios
Gustavo
G
Baisre-De-Leon
Ada
A
Paddock
Christopher D
CD
Hutchison
Stephen K
SK
Egholm
Michael
M
Zaki
Sherif R
SR
Goldman
James E
JE
Ochs
Hans D
HD
Lipkin
W Ian
WI
D000293:Adolescent; D000361:Agammaglobulinemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D018792:Encephalitis, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D040181:Genetic Diseases, X-Linked / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral