Isolation of dengue 2 virus from a patient with central nervous system involvement (transverse myelitis)

• Main Authors: Leão Raimundo N.Q., Oikawa Teichi, Rosa Elizabeth S.T., Yamaki José T., Rodrigues Sueli G., Vasconcelos Helena B., Sousa Maria R.S., Tsukimata Jaime K., Azevedo Raimunda S.S., Vasconcelos Pedro F.C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2002
• Subjects: Dengue fever; Transverse myelitis; Dengue 2; Virus isolation; RT-PCR; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/25f2b0c33e574d2e8b969515cf202493

A dengue fever case is described in a 58-year-old male patient with febrile illness and thrombocytopenia complicated by neurological involvement characterized by transverse myelitis followed by weakness of both legs and flaccid paralysis. Muscle strength was much diminished and bilateral areflexia was observed. Dengue 2 (DEN-2) virus was isolated and the patient sero-converted by hemagglutination-inhibition and IgM-ELISA tests. The RT-PCR test was positive to DEN-2 in acute phase serum and culture supernatant, but negative in the cerebrospinal fluid. After three weeks of hospitalization the patient was discharged. No other infectious agent was detected in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples. The patient had full recovery from paralysis six months after the onset of DEN-2 infection.