Hosoya M, Honzumi K, Sato M, Katayose M, Kato K, Suzuki H
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Japan.
J Clin Virol. 1998 Aug 20;11(2):117-24. doi: 10.1016/s1386-6532(98)00048-8.
Epidemiological studies have indicated that the majority of cases of aseptic meningitis result from viral infections. However, specific viral pathogens for aseptic meningitis can be identified in only some cases even if consistent conventional diagnostic methodologies rare used.
To clarify the etiological agents of aseptic meningitis by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for various neurotropic viruses.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from 73 children suspected of having meningitis from November 1991 to December 1994. The samples were examined for infectious viruses by cell culture and for viral genomes by PCR.
Of 45 samples from patients diagnosed with aseptic meningitis, positive PCR results for enterovirus, mumps virus, cytomegalovirus, and varicella-zoster virus were obtained from respectively 25, 14, 1, and 1. Viral pathogens were thus identified in 41 (91.1%) of the 45 CSF samples. By the combination of PCR methods with conventional virological methods, the diagnosis of viral meningitis was established in 97.8% of the 45 cases. Our findings prove that the application of PCR methods is useful for etiological study of aseptic meningitis, and that the vast majority of cases of aseptic meningitis result from viral infection.
流行病学研究表明，大多数无菌性脑膜炎病例由病毒感染引起。然而，即使采用一致的传统诊断方法，也仅在部分病例中能鉴定出无菌性脑膜炎的特定病毒病原体。
通过针对多种嗜神经病毒的聚合酶链反应（PCR）来明确无菌性脑膜炎的病原体。
1991年11月至1994年12月期间，从73名疑似患有脑膜炎的儿童中采集脑脊液（CSF）样本。通过细胞培养检测样本中的感染性病毒，并用PCR检测病毒基因组。
在45例被诊断为无菌性脑膜炎患者的样本中，分别从25例、14例、1例和1例中获得了肠道病毒、腮腺炎病毒、巨细胞病毒和水痘-带状疱疹病毒的PCR阳性结果。因此，在45份CSF样本中的41份（91.1%）中鉴定出了病毒病原体。通过将PCR方法与传统病毒学方法相结合，在45例病例中的97.8%确诊为病毒性脑膜炎。我们的研究结果证明，PCR方法的应用有助于无菌性脑膜炎的病因学研究，且绝大多数无菌性脑膜炎病例由病毒感染引起。
