Background:
@EN Aseptic meningitis, an acute inflammation of the meninges, is a common illness during childhood. Although the etiologic agent is not always identified, viruses are the usual responsible agents. Enterovirus especially causes approximately 85%
of all
cases of aseptic meningitis. In 1993, there was a nationwide epidemic of aseptic meningitis by echovirus 9 and 30. This study was done to detect the causative virus of aseptic meningitis in 1994.
@ES Methods:
@EN To isolate the causative viruses, stool and cerebrospinal fluid specimens from the patients with aseptic meningitis, who were admitted to Severance Hospital in 1994, were collected. Cultured RD cell and HEP-2 cell were inoculated with
specimens
to
see the cytopathic effects. Neutralizing antibody tests using enterovirus serum pool were done on the specimens with the cytopathic effects. RNA was isolated from the cultured supernatants of the infected cells by Piore and Nicoletta method.
Oligonucleotide was synthesized by PCR, which was run on polyacrylamide gel after purification with HPLC. After running the DNA produced by using Geneamp RNA PCR Kit, electrophoresis was done.
@ES Results:
@EN Fchovirus was isolated from 4 out of 11 patients Among these four, echovirus 3 was isolated from both CSF and stool in three patients. In one of these three, Coxsackie B virus was isolated as well from CSF. In the remaining one patient,
echovirus 3
was present in CSF only. PCR product from this virus showed a 114 bp band on gel electrophoresis, which was the same PCR product from enterovirus isolated from stool specimens of the patients with aseptic meningitis
in 1993.
@ES Conclusion:
@EN The causative virus of aseptic meningitis in patients who were admitted to Severance Hospital during the spring season of 1994 was Echovirus 3.
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