Infect Chemother.  2006 Aug;38(4):219-223.

A Case of Epstein-Barr Virus Associated Encephalitis Improved after High-Dose Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy

• Jang MW
• Kim SW
• Yoo HJ

Abstract

Neurologic complications of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection are diverse including a number of neurologic diseases such as encephalitis, encephalomyelitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, optic neuritis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, cerebellitis, and Alice-In-Wonderland syndrome. In general encephalitis caused by EBV in children has been considered a self-limited disease with few or no sequelae. Occasionally it leaves a severe neurologic sequela and complications. Therefore administration of high dose acyclovir and steroid in early stages of EBV encephalitis is recommended currently. In this case, the patient of a 8-year-old boy was admitted because of generalized tonic seizure of 2 times. He showed 16% of atypical lymphocytosis in peripheral blood smear and positive findings in VCA-IgM and EA-IgM tests. EBV DNA Antibody, and virus PCR in CSF was not evaluated. He also showed hepatosplenomegaly in abdominal sonography. Brain MRI revealed a bilateral increased signal intensity at lenticular nucleus and caudate nucleus, multiple high signal intensity at cortical layer of both gyrus reti, both frontal, inferior parietal, and dorsal aspect of the right paracentral lobue. As mentioned in serologic and imaging study, he was diagnosed as the EBV- associated encephalitis. Although we administered high dose acyclovir and corticosteroids, he showed clinical deterioration with confusion, delirium, and ataxia. Therefore, we administered additional high dose intravenous immunoglobulin, and finally he was recovered. We report the case of improvement of EBV-associated encephalitis after high-dose Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy.

Keyword

Epstein-Barr virus; Encephalitis; Intravenous immunoglobulin

MeSH Terms

Acyclovir
Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Ataxia
Brain
Caudate Nucleus
Child
Corpus Striatum
Delirium
DNA
Encephalitis*
Encephalomyelitis
Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Herpesvirus 4, Human*
Humans
Immunization, Passive*
Immunoglobulins*
Lymphocytosis
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Optic Neuritis
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Rabeprazole
Seizures
Acyclovir
Adrenal Cortex Hormones
DNA
Immunoglobulins