Aumento inusual de casos de mielitis en un hospital pediátrico en Argentina / Unusual increase of cases of myelitis in a pediatric hospital in Argentina

Introducción: La asociación entre enterovirus D68 y cuadros de mielitis aguda fláccida ha sido descrita en Estados Unidos, en 2014. Desde ese año, se han reportado casos esporádicamente en Canadá y Europa. Se describe, en este estudio, una serie de casos con mielitis aguda fláccida en el Hospital de Pediatría "Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan" en Buenos Aires, Argentina, en 2016. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo. Se incluyeron todos los pacientes internados desde el 1/04/2016 al 1/07/2016 con mielitis fláccida aguda con lesiones en la médula espinal que comprometieran la sustancia gris en la resonancia magnética nuclear. Se procesaron, para la búsqueda etiológica, muestras de secreciones nasofaríngeas, hisopados de materia fecal y líquido cefalorraquídeo. Resultados: Se incluyeron 10 pacientes. La mediana de edad fue 4 años (rango de 3 meses a 5 años). Ocho pacientes tuvieron una enfermedad febril autolimitada antes del inicio de los síntomas neurológicos. Los hallazgos neurológicos fueron debilidad fláccida de, al menos, un miembro, cervicoplejia (n= 2) y parálisis facial (n= 2). Todos los pacientes presentaron lesiones longitudinales en la médula espinal, con compromiso de sustancia gris, predominantemente, en el asta anterior. En todos los casos, se realizó una punción lumbar. En 7 pacientes, se observó pleocitosis. En cuatro niños, se identificó enterovirus D68 en secreciones nasofaríngeas y, en uno, se identificó el enterovirusD68 en el líquido cefalorraquídeo. Todos los pacientes persistieron con déficits neurológicos al momento del alta. Conclusiones: Se reporta el primer brote de mielitis aguda fláccida asociada a enterovirusD68 en Argentina. La vigilancia epidemiológica activa permitirá conocer la verdadera incidencia, epidemiología y etiología de esta enfermedad.

Introduction: The association between enterovirus D68 and acute flaccid myelitis was first described in the United States in 2014. Since then, sporadic cases have been reported in Canada and Europe. This study describes a series of cases of acute flaccid myelitis at Hospital de Pediatría "Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan," in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during 2016. Methods: Descriptive, retrospective study. All patients with acute flaccid myelitis and lesions in the spinal cord involving the gray matter, as observed in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, hospitalized from 04/01/2016 to 07/01/2016, were included in the study. Samples of nasopharyngeal secretions, fecal swabs and cerebrospinal fluid were collected and processed to look for the causative agent. Results: Ten patients were included. The median age was 4 years old (range from 3 months to 5 years old). Eight patients had a self-limiting febrile condition before the onset of neurological symptoms. Neurological findings were flaccid weakness in, at least, one limb, cervical paralysis (n= 2) and facial paralysis (n= 2). All patients had longitudinal lesions in the spinal cord, with gray matter involvement, mainly in the anterior horn. In all cases, a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) was performed. Pleocytosis was observed in 7 patients. In four children, enterovirus D68 was identified in nasopharyngeal secretions, and in one, it was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid. Neurological deficit persisted in all patients at the time of discharge. Conclusions: The first outbreak of acute flaccid myelitis associated to enterovirus D68 is reported in Argentina. Active epidemiological surveillance will help to determine the true incidence, epidemiology and etiology of this disease.

Varicella-zoster virus longitudinally extensive myelitis in animmunocompetent patient / Mielite longitudinalmente extensa secundária ao vírus varicela-zóster em paciente imunocompetente

Longitudinally extensive myelitis is a severe rare complication of varicella-zoster virus infection. We report a case in a 20-year-oldimmunocompetent patient who presented with a two-week history of lower-limb paresis and paresthesia below dermatome T12, andsphincter dysfunction. He presented with a zoster rash a week prior tothe onset of neurological symptoms. Spinal cord magnetic resonanceimaging revealed a C5-T12 intramedullary lesion and cerebrospinalfluid showed lymphocytic pleocytosis and elevated varicella-zostervirus immunoglobulin G. Patient had not gained much improvement after acyclovir and pulse therapy with methylprednisolone, which prompted a five-day course of plasmapheresis. He partially recovered, but remained with sphincter impairment.

Mielite longitudinalmente extensa é uma rara e grave complicação da infecção pelo vírus varicela-zóster. Relatamos o caso de um pacientede 20 anos de idade, imunocompetente, que há duas semanas apresentou paresia de membros inferiores e parestesias abaixo dodermátomo T12, associadas com disfunção esfincteriana. Ele apresentouum rash cutâneo sugestivo de herpes uma semana antes do início dos sintomas neurológicos. A ressonância magnética de medula espinhal demonstrou uma lesão intramedular de C5 a T12, e o líquido cerebroespinhal revelou uma pleocitose linfocítica com aumento de imunoglobulina IgG para o vírus varicela-zóster. O paciente não apresentou melhora após uso de aciclovir e pulsoterapia com metilprednisolona, o que motivou um curso de cinco dias de plasmaférese.Houve recuperação parcial, porém ele permaneceu com distúrbio esfincteriano.

Recurrent herpes zoster myelitis

Recurrent zoster myelitis is quite rare. We present a previously healthy 27-year-old woman who developed recurrent attacks of myelopathy shortly after the characteristic skin rashes of herpes zoster. Magnetic resonance imaging studies demonstrated each lesion in the spinal cord at the same segments as the skin lesions. She had two attacks at opposite sites at the same spinal cord level and complete recovery after being treated with intravenous acyclovir. We suspect that direct invasion of varicella zoster virus was the cause of recurrent myelopathy in our patient.