Case ReportRotavirus Cerebellitis: New Aspects to an Old Foe?
Introduction
Rotavirus is recognized as a significant cause of severe gastroenteritis in children under age 5 years, and is estimated to result in two million hospitalizations and 527,000 deaths per year worldwide [1]. Rotavirus is increasingly recognized as a routine cause of systemic infection [2].
We present a 4-year-old girl with encephalitis and features of cerebellar inflammation on magnetic resonance imaging, in whom rotavirus RNA was detected in blood and cerebrospinal fluid.
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Case Report
A previously healthy 4-year-old girl presented after 3 days of diarrhea and vomiting, and was admitted for intravenous rehydration. Rotavirus antigen was detected by enzyme immunoassay in a sample of her stool. During the subsequent 2 days, her diarrhea and vomiting improved, but she became agitated and demonstrated progressive deterioration in her conscious state. She became atonic and mute, and developed nonpurposeful eye and limb movements.
Computed axial tomography of the patient’s brain on
Discussion
The demonstration of rotavirus RNA in serum and cerebrospinal fluid, an abnormal magnetic resonance signal in the cerebellum, and neutrophil pleocytosis in cerebrospinal fluid, in the absence of other bacterial or viral pathogens, argue strongly for a causal role of rotavirus in this girl’s meningoencephalitis. This case also provides additional insights into the spectrum of rotavirus-associated neurologic illness.
Although early reviews focused almost exclusively on the tropism of rotavirus for
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