Neurologic Complications of Influenza B Virus Infection in Adults, Romania.
We characterized influenza B virus-related neurologic manifestations in an unusually high number of hospitalized adults at a tertiary care facility in Romania during the 2014-15 influenza epidemic season. Of 32 patients with a confirmed laboratory diagnosis of influenza B virus infection, neurologic complications developed in 7 adults (median age 31 years). These complications were clinically diagnosed as confirmed encephalitis (4 patients), possible encephalitis (2 patients), and cerebellar ataxia (1 patient). Two of the patients died. Virus sequencing identified influenza virus B (Yam)-lineage clade 3, which is representative of the B/Phuket/3073/2013 strain, in 4 patients. None of the patients had been vaccinated against influenza. These results suggest that influenza B virus can cause a severe clinical course and should be considered as an etiologic factor for encephalitis.
Corneliu P
CP
Popescu
Simin A
SA
Florescu
Emilia
E
Lupulescu
Mihaela
M
Zaharia
Gratiela
G
Tardei
Mihaela
M
Lazar
Emanoil
E
Ceausu
Simona M
SM
Ruta
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009981:Influenza B virus; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
B (Yam)-lineage clade 3; B/Phuket/3073/2013; Romania; adults; influenza; influenza B virus; influenza vaccine; meningitis/encephalitis; neurologic complications; respiratory infections; tertiary care facility; viruses