RESUMO
Twenty-one children with confirmed herpes simplex encephalitis were identified in the California Encephalitis Project.Noteworthy features included 6 (29%) patients with an initial negative herpes simplex virus cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction test and 13 (62%) patients with extratemporal lobe involvement identified by neuroimaging [corrected]. Eleven cases were <4 years of age, but all 4 fatal cases occurred in adolescents.
Assuntos
Encefalite por Herpes Simples/patologia , Adolescente , Encéfalo/patologia , California , Líquido Cefalorraquidiano/virologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Neuroimagem , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Análise de SobrevidaRESUMO
We describe the clinical course of the first 3 pediatric cases infected with Rickettsia spp. 364D. Although the pathogen was identified in California ticks decades ago, only recently have human cases been documented. Clinical features are generally mild, characterized by eschar, fever, headache, malaise and lymphadenopathy. Antigenic similarity among rickettsiae leads to cross-reactive antibody responses; definitive diagnosis requires molecular methods.