Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Eurosurveillance, Volume 19, Issue 44, 06 November 2014
Rapid communications
ACUTE FLACCID PARALYSIS FOLLOWING ENTEROVIRUS D68 ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA, FRANCE, 2014
Available online
Date of submission: 24 October 2014
Human enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is known to be associated with mild to severe respiratory infections. Recent reports in the United States and Canada of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in children with detection of EV-D68 in respiratory samples have raised concerns about the aetiological role of this EV type in severe neurological disease. This case study is the first report of AFP following EV-D68 infection in Europe.
We report the first case of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) following enterovirus-D68 (EV-D68) infection in Europe. The United States (US) and Canada are currently experiencing nationwide outbreaks of EV-D68 infections associated with severe respiratory diseases especially in children with underlying respiratory disease that began in mid-August 2014 [1,2]. Concomitantly, clusters of neurological illness characterised by AFP with anterior myelitis have been reported in the US and Canada [3,4]. The detection of EV-D68 in nasopharyngeal specimens of some affected children raises the question of a possible link between EV-D68 infections and severe neurological disease.
Human enterovirus D68 belongs to the enterovirus D species within the Enterovirus genus in the Picornaviridae family. Biologically close to rhinoviruses, EV-D68 has been mainly associated with acute respiratory infection with clinical presentation ranging from mild to severe disease requiring intensive care [5–11].
Case report
The patient was a previously healthy four year-old boy who was initially taken to his general practitioner’s surgery for headache and vomiting on 20 September 2014. On 22 September 2014, he presented with a febrile meningeal syndrome without any sign of encephalitis.
(......)
The child had up-to-date immunisation against poliomyelitis. He had neither underlying respiratory illness nor previous history of chronic disease, immunodeficiency or tick exposure. He had not travelled recently outside France and had had no contact with anyone arriving from North America. No family member presented with respiratory symptoms.
More: Eurosurveillance
Rapid communications
ACUTE FLACCID PARALYSIS FOLLOWING ENTEROVIRUS D68 ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA, FRANCE, 2014
Available online
Date of submission: 24 October 2014
Human enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is known to be associated with mild to severe respiratory infections. Recent reports in the United States and Canada of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in children with detection of EV-D68 in respiratory samples have raised concerns about the aetiological role of this EV type in severe neurological disease. This case study is the first report of AFP following EV-D68 infection in Europe.
We report the first case of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) following enterovirus-D68 (EV-D68) infection in Europe. The United States (US) and Canada are currently experiencing nationwide outbreaks of EV-D68 infections associated with severe respiratory diseases especially in children with underlying respiratory disease that began in mid-August 2014 [1,2]. Concomitantly, clusters of neurological illness characterised by AFP with anterior myelitis have been reported in the US and Canada [3,4]. The detection of EV-D68 in nasopharyngeal specimens of some affected children raises the question of a possible link between EV-D68 infections and severe neurological disease.
Human enterovirus D68 belongs to the enterovirus D species within the Enterovirus genus in the Picornaviridae family. Biologically close to rhinoviruses, EV-D68 has been mainly associated with acute respiratory infection with clinical presentation ranging from mild to severe disease requiring intensive care [5–11].
Case report
The patient was a previously healthy four year-old boy who was initially taken to his general practitioner’s surgery for headache and vomiting on 20 September 2014. On 22 September 2014, he presented with a febrile meningeal syndrome without any sign of encephalitis.
(......)
The child had up-to-date immunisation against poliomyelitis. He had neither underlying respiratory illness nor previous history of chronic disease, immunodeficiency or tick exposure. He had not travelled recently outside France and had had no contact with anyone arriving from North America. No family member presented with respiratory symptoms.
More: Eurosurveillance