Anahita IZADI, Ali Akbar RAHBARIMANESH, Yousef MOJTAHEDI and Sayed Yousef MOJTAHEDI

ABSTRACT

Meningitis is the most frequent infection of the central nervous system and viruses are the most common agents. Enteroviruses are among the most important causative agents. The goal of this study was to determine Coxsackievirus and echovirus infections in children referred to Bahrami Hospital with the diagnosis of meningitis. Forty children with the diagnosis of meningitis, who were referred between January 2017 and February 2018, were evaluated. Forty cases were evaluated. Twenty two (55%) were males and 18 (45%) females (M/F=2.1). The most common age group was 0-4 years and most cases were admitted in autumn and summer. Entroviruses are the causative agent of meningitis in 26 (65%) cases, including coxsackieviruse type B5 in 18 (69%) and coxsackieviruse type B4 in 2 (10%). Six meningitis cases were caused by echoviruses (30%). In both coxsackievirus and echovirus groups, the most frequent age group was less than four years. Among the 26 cases with enterovirus infection, three were admitted in spring (11.5%), eight in summer (30.7%), 10 in autumn (38.4%) and five (19.2%) in winter.
The most common symptoms in cases with entroviruses infection were fever in 26 (100%) patients and nausea/vomiting in 18 (69.2%). Entroviruses are among the most common viral infections leading to meningitis in Iranian children. Rapid diagnosis will result in early and proper treatment.
Keywords: meningitis, viral, children, Iran.

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Ali Akbar RAHBARIMANESH, Anahita IZADI, Zahra ESKANDARIZADEH and Mahsa GHAJARZADEH

ABSTRACT

One of the causes of infants’ hospitalizations is bronchiolitis, while different viral agents could be causative agents. As there is little information regarding the common agents of bronchiolitis in Iranian infants, we designed this study to determine which agents were responsible for hospitalization due to bronchiolitis among infants in an Iranian tertiary center. Two hundred and three infants with bronchiolitis who were hospitalized in Bahrami hospital were enrolled. Data regarding age, sex, duration of hospitalization, exposure to smoking, previous antibiotic usage and fever were collected for all enrolled cases. Throat sample by means of soap was collected and rapid test with immunochromatography (IC) test was performed. Rapid test was positive in 59 (29%) cases and three cases had concomitant infection with two viruses. The most common viral agent was RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). Mean age was significantly lower in cases with RSV or RSV+ adenovirus infectious in comparison with other two groups (adenovirus or influenza only), while mean duration of hospitalization was significantly longer in RSV/RSV+ adenovirus group. RSV is the most common viral etiology of bronchiolitis in Iranian infants less than one year old, which is related with younger age and longer duration of hospitalization.
Keywords: bronchiolitis, infants, Iran.

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