Rotavirus-associated mild encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS)-case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis in children under the age of 5 years worldwide. It is well recognised that rotavirus can cause signs and symptoms beyond the gastrointestinal tract, including neurological manifestations such as encephalopathy. Mild encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a clinico-radiological syndrome that has been associated with rotavirus. We report a case of a 4-year-old boy with clinically mild encephalopathy, who had an isolated splenial lesion in the corpus callosum on neuroimaging, and rotavirus RNA detected in faeces. We use this case as an opportunity to review the literature on rotavirus-associated MERS. CASE PRESENTATION: A previously healthy 4-year-old boy presented with a 2-day history of vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever, complicated by reduced level of consciousness. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a marked hyperintensity in the splenium of the corpus callosum on T2 and diffusion-weighted images. Rotavirus genome was detected by polymerase chain reaction in a stool specimen, but not in the cerebrospinal fluid. The genotype was identified as G1P8. His clinical condition improved with gradual resolution of his symptoms. No neurological complications were evident upon discharge and the patient had no recurring symptoms or significant residual defects when followed up 2 months later. CONCLUSION: MERS is a novel clinic-radiological syndrome first described in Japan. A transient splenial lesion with reduced diffusion that appears as a high signal intensity in diffusion-weighted MRI is the main diagnostic feature. Rotavirus is one of the most common agents associated with MERS, although to our knowledge only one previous case has been reported from Europe. The majority of patients appear to achieve full recovery following rotavirus-associated MERS, irrespective of treatment. This case, together with other published reports, supports the hypothesis that rotavirus-associated MERS is unlikely to be the result of direct viral invasion of the CNS. It has been suggested that MERS may be caused by intra-myelinic axonal oedema or local inflammatory cell infiltration; however, the pathogenesis remains incompletely understood.

Respiratory outcome of prematurely born infants following human rhinovirus A and C infections.

UNLABELLED: Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are a common cause of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) and are associated with chronic respiratory morbidity. Our aim was to determine whether HRV species A or C were associated with chronic respiratory morbidity and increased health care utilisation in prematurely born infants. A number of 153 infants with a median gestational age of 34 (range 23-35) weeks were prospectively followed. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected whenever the infants had LRTIs regardless of hospitalisation status. Parents completed a respiratory diary card and health questionnaire about their infant when they were 11 and 12 months corrected age, respectively. The health-related cost of care during infancy was calculated from the medical records using the National Health Service (NHS) reference costing scheme and the British National Formulary for children. There were 32 infants that developed 40 HRV LRTIs; samples were available from 23 of the 32 infants for subtyping. Nine infants had HRV-A LRTIs, 13 HRV-C LRTIs, and one infant had a HRV-B LRTI. Exclusion of infants who also had RSV LRTIs revealed that the infants who had a HRV-C LRTI were more likely to wheeze (p < 0.0005) and use respiratory medications (p < 0.0005) and had more days of wheeze (p = 0.01) and used an inhaler (p = 0.02) than the no LRTI group. In addition, the respiratory cost of care was greater for the HRV-C LRTI than the no LRTI group (p < 0.0005). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest HRV-C is associated with chronic respiratory morbidity during infancy in prematurely born infants.

Clinical characteristics and complications of rotavirus gastroenteritis in children in east London: A retrospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in children and is associated with neurological complications such as seizures and encephalopathy. The aim of this study was to investigate the presentation and complications of rotavirus compared to non-rotavirus gastroenteritis in UK children. METHODS: This was a retrospective, case-control, hospital-based study conducted at three sites in east London, UK. Cases were children aged 1 month to 16 years diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis between 1 June 2011 and 31 December 2013, in whom stool virology investigations confirmed presence of rotavirus by PCR. They were matched by age, gender and month of presentation to controls with rotavirus-negative gastroenteritis. RESULTS: Data were collected from 116 children (50 cases and 66 controls). Children with rotavirus gastroenteritis tended to present more frequently with metabolic acidosis (pH 7.30 vs 7.37, P = 0.011) and fever (74% versus 46%; P = 0.005) and were more likely to require hospitalisation compared to children with non-rotavirus gastroenteritis (93% versus 73%; P = 0.019). Neurological complications were the most common extra-intestinal manifestations, but did not differ significantly between children with rotavirus-positive gastroenteritis (RPG) and rotavirus-negative gastroenteritis (RNG) (24% versus 15%, respectively; P = 0.24). Encephalopathy occurred only in children with rotavirus infection (n = 3, 6%). CONCLUSION: Rotavirus causes longer and more severe disease compared to other viral pathogens. Seizures and milder neurological signs were surprisingly common and associated with multiple pathogens, but encephalopathy occurred only in children with rotavirus gastroenteritis. Rotavirus vaccination may reduce seizures and presentation to hospital, but vaccines against other pathogens causing gastroenteritis are required.

K65R and Y181C are less prevalent in HAART-experienced HIV-1 subtype A patients.

The vast majority of HIV-1 infections globally are caused by subtype A or C, although little is known about their drug resistance profiles. We found that HAART-experienced patients infected with subtype A had a lower prevalence of K65R and Y181C than those with subtypes B or C, despite similar exposure to antiretroviral agents that select for these mutations. If confirmed, this information may be important in the planning of antiretroviral regimens in patients infected with HIV-1 subtype A.

Patient characteristics and severity of human rhinovirus infections in children.

BACKGROUND: It is increasingly recognized that human rhinoviruses (HRV) can be associated with severe infections. However, conflicting results have been reported on the relative prevalence and severity of the three HRV species. OBJECTIVES: The relative prevalence and clinical characteristics of HRV-A, B and C, in children attending a South London teaching hospital were investigated retrospectively. STUDY DESIGN: Children aged<16 years with episodes of respiratory tract infections and detectable entero/rhinovirus RNA in respiratory samples between November 2009 and December 2010 were investigated. Retrospective case review was performed and patients' characteristics recorded. RESULTS: Entero/rhinoviruses were the commonest viral pathogens (498/2316; 21.5%). Amongst 204 infection episodes associated with entero/rhinovirus, 167 were typed HRV, HRV-C was the most prevalent (99/167, 59.3%) followed by HRV-A (60/167; 35.9%) and HRV-B (8/167, 4.8%). The severity spectrum of HRV-A and HRV-C infections were similar and affected all parts of the respiratory tract. Co-pathogens were observed in 54 (26.5%) episodes. Severity was increased in patients with non-viral co-pathogens and those with an underlying respiratory condition. Univariate and multiple regression analyses of potential prognostic variables including age, co-pathogens and underlying respiratory illnesses showed that mono-infection with HRV-C, as compared with other HRV species, was associated with more severe disease in young children<3 years. CONCLUSIONS: HRV-C was the most prevalent species and on its own was associated with severe disease in children<3 years. The association between infection with HRV species and clinical presentation is complex and affected by many confounding factors.

Post-vaccination serological test results of infants at risk of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B using an intensified follow-up programme in a London centre.

Immunisation of infants born to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected mothers is an important public health measure to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HBV. Post-vaccination serological tests (PVST) inform the success of the infant HBV immunisation programme and identify infected infants. Previous studies suggested that the rates of PVST in the UK programme were unsatisfactory. We introduced an intensified local follow-up programme and offered an earlier PVST 2-3 months after the third vaccination at age 4-5 months. Of 219 infants born between 2009 and 2011, 193 infants (88.1%) had at least one PVST: 145 (66.2%) early; 94 (42.9%) standard; 46 (21.0%) both and 26 (11.9%) never tested. Twenty-four infants were identified as high risk for mother-to-child transmission according to national criteria and received both hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and hepatitis B vaccine at birth. These infants had a significantly lower hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) levels at early PVST compared to the lower risk group who received hepatitis B vaccine only (median of 59 vs. 376 mIU/ml, P=0.006). None of the infants tested were infected with hepatitis B. This study illustrates that the rate of PVST can be improved by using an intensified follow-up programme offering an early PVST. The significantly lower anti-HBs levels in the HBIG subgroup is of concern as this group of infants is already at higher risk for acquiring HBV infection. Infants with poor antibody responses can be identified by an early PVST and offered a timely extra booster dose.

Lineages, sub-lineages and variants of enterovirus 68 in recent outbreaks.

Enterovirus 68 (EV68) was first isolated in 1962. Very few cases of EV68 infection were described over the ensuing 40 years. However, in the past few years, an increase in severe respiratory tract infections associated with EV68 has been reported. We identified two clusters of EV68 infection in South London, UK, one each in the autumn/winters of 2009 and 2010. Sequence comparison showed significant homology of the UK strains with those from other countries including the Netherlands, Japan and the Philippines, which reported EV68 outbreaks between 2008 and 2010. Phylogenetic analysis of all available VP1 sequences indicated the presence of two modern EV68 lineages. The 2010 UK strains belonged to lineage 2. Lineage 1 could be further divided into two sub-lineages: some Japanese and Dutch strains collected between 2004 and 2010 form a distinct sub-lineages (sub-lineage 1.1), whereas other strains from the UK, Japan, Netherlands and Philippines collected between 2008 and 2010 represent sub-lineage 1.2. The UK 2009 strains together with several Dutch and Japanese strains from 2009/2010 represents one variant (1.2.1), whereas those from the Philippines a second variant (1.2.2). Based on specific deletions and substitutions, we suggest rules for the assignment of lineages and sub-lineages. Molecular epidemiological analysis indicates rapid recent evolution of EV68 and this may explain the recent findings of a global resurgence of EV68. Continuous global monitoring of the clinical and molecular epidemiology of EV68 is recommended.