title: Enterovirus infection in febrile neonates: A hospital-based prospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to investigate clinical characteristics and microbiological results and to assess the predictors for enterovirus infection in febrile neonates.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort study was conducted on 334 febrile patients (age: 0.33-28 days) in 2011-2012 years. Enterovirus RNA was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on faeces or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Clinical characteristics were compared, and non-conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to determine independent predictors for enterovirus infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 131 episodes of neonatal enterovirus infection (39.22%). Forty-eight (36.64%) developed respiratory symptoms, 69 (52.67%) had diarrhoea, 22 (16.79%) had poor feeding and 34 (25.95%) had rash. Eighteen (13.74%) had lower platelet counts, and CSF specimens were positive for enterovirus RNA in 44.27% (58/131) whose CSF revealed a mean white blood cell counts of 100.38 ± 147.97 cells/mm(3) (range: 2-668 cells/mm(3) ). The positivity of stool 38.92% (130/334) was significantly higher than that of CSF specimens 26.24% (58/221) for enterovirus RNA (P < 0.01). By logistic regression analysis, the following independently predicted enterovirus infection: abnormal CSF test (odds ratio (OR): 12.426, 95% confidence interval (CI): 5.633-27.413), thrombocytopenia (OR: 3.647, 95% CI: 1.312-10.136), duration of fever >3.25 (d) (OR: 2.293, 95% CI: 1.279-4.113), highest temperature >38.35 (°C) (OR: 2.094, 95% CI: 1.342-4.123) and negative bacterial culture (OR: 5.073, 95% CI: 1.504-17.114).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicated that enteroviruses should be routinely considered in the differential diagnosis of febrile neonates. The factors, which may predict the risk of neonatal enterovirus infection, were abnormal CSF test, thrombocytopenia, duration of fever >3.25 (d), highest temperature >38.35 (°C) and negative bacterial culture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.|The First People's Hospital of Yongkang, Jinhua, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ling-He
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Tai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Tian-Ming
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000821:virology; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: enterovirus; febrile; neonate