Variations in cerebrospinal fluid viral loads among enterovirus genotypes in patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed meningitis due to enterovirus

Abstract

Background. Acute enterovirus (EV) meningitis is a major cause of hospitalization among adults and children. It is caused by multiple EV genotypes assigned to 4 species (EV-A, EV-B, EV-C, and EV-D). Methods. We determined viral loads in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 156 patients of all ages with EV meningitis during a 5-year observational prospective study. The virus strains were genotyped, and their time origin was determined with Bayesian phylogenetic methods. Results. The CSF viral loads ranged between 3.4 and 7.5 log 10 copies/mL (median, 4.9 log10 copies/mL). They were higher in neonates than in infants and children (P =. 02) but were comparable in adults. Viral loads were associated with EV genotypes (P