title: Study of the Frequency of Herpesvirus Infections Among Patients Suspected Aseptic Meningitis in the West of Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aseptic meningitis is the most common type of meningitis and is characterized by meningeal inflammation that is not linked to identifiable bacterial pathogens in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of aseptic meningitis caused by herpesviruses, namely herpes simplex types I and II (HSV-1, HSV-2), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 196 CSF samples were collected from patients with suspected meningitis. All samples were smear- and culture-negative for bacterial pathogens. The biochemical and cytological findings of CSF samples were also recorded. DNA was extracted from samples and PCR with specific primers was carried out to detect viruses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 196 samples derived from 100 (52%) men and 96 (48%) women ranging in age from one day to 86 years with an average age of 32.3 ± 25.3 years. Of them, 8 (4.08%) samples yielded positive results, including 5 (2.55%) cases of VZV infection and 3 (1.53%) cases of HSV-1 infection. No cases of HSV-2, CMV or EBV infection were detected. CSF protein and glucose levels among positive cases were all in the normal range.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate a considerable rate of herpesvirus infection in patients with aseptic meningitis, and that VZV is the most common herpesvirus to cause infection followed by HSV-1. Our results also showed that a moderate increase in the WBC count and predominance of lymphocytes can be valuable clues in diagnosing viral meningitis. Given the different approaches of drug therapy in bacterial and viral meningitis, use of molecular methods is necessary in hospitals to rapidly discriminate between them.
authors.affiliation: Nosocomial Infection Research Centre, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Alisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akya
authors.affiliation: MSc Student of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Kamal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zehtabian
authors.affiliation: MSc Student of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Afsaneh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salimi
authors.affiliation: MSc Student of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Azam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elahi
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Sayed Hamid
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Madani
keywords: Aseptic Meningitis; Herpesvirus; Iran; Polymerase Chain Reaction