All issues > Volume 38(7); 1995

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1995;38(7):901-906. Published online July 15, 1995.

Epidemic Aseptic Meningitis in 1993 -Focused on Virus Culture-

Ji Yeon JY Cho¹, Hyang Ju HJ Kim¹, Ghee Young GY Jung¹, Jin Keun JK Pang¹, Du Bong DB Lee¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, ST. Francisco`s General Hospital, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Purpose
: Aseptic meningitis is relatively common disease caused by virus, however in most of casesthe main causes are unnoticed since virus culture and isolation is quiet difficult in our country. Authors of this thesis have conducted virus culture and isolation test to figure out cause of aseptic meningitis that was prevalent through out the country from June to July 1993.
Methods
: During the same period, authors took cerebrospinal fluid from 361 patients hospi-talized over Aseptic meningitis at the department of padiatrics, St Francisco Hospital, and asked Special Refernce Laboratory in Japan to conduct virus culture and isolation test on 93 cases. Tests were concluded in 60 cases
Results
: 1) Age of patients vared from 1 to 8, but mostly below 5 years old(85%). The sex ratio was 1:1.1. 2) We founded out that 98% of patients showed clinical symptoms of fever, 72% headache, 67%stomache, 65% vomiting, 17% coughing and rhinorrea, and 38% of children patients devel-oped neck stiffness. 3) Enterovirus was cultivated in 77 cases out of 93 cases that underwent virus culture. However due to shortage of research funds, neutralization was conducted only on 60 cases all of which were result in isolation of Echovirus 9.
Conclusion
: Echovirus 9 was thought to be the main causative agent of Aseptic meningitis that was prevalent through out the country from June to july 1993 according to viral culture and neutralization antibody test. The clinical symptoms were relatively mild and no complecation were associated in most of cases

Keywords :Aseptic meningitis, Virus culture, Echovirus 9