Affiliations: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, F. Edward
Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health
Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
Note: [] Correspondence: Daniel J. Adams, Department of Pediatrics, F.
Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health
Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Tel.: +1 240 401 6122;
Fax: +1 301 295 3898; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Neuroinvasive disease seldom follows infection with West Nile virus,
but is particularly rare in children. Most reported cases of West Nile virus
encephalitis have occurred in older adults or the immunocompromised. Although
individuals who are homozygous for a 32 base pair deletion in the chemokine
receptor CCR5 have been shown to be resistant to infection with HIV-1, they
have been reported to have in increased risk of developing severe disease
following West Nile virus infection. Analysis of the presence of the CCR5
deletion has not been previously examined in children with West Nile
neuroinvasive disease. We present a case of West Nile encephalitis in a
previously healthy young child whom we evaluated for the presence of the
CCR5δ32 mutation.
Keywords: West Nile virus, encephalitis, CCR5, children
