Affiliations: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Leicester Royal
Infirmary, Leicester, UK | Department of Pediatrics, Kettering General Hospital,
Northamptonshire, UK
Abstract: There is a wide differential for white matter changes on magnetic
resonance imaging in an un-well neonate. Human parechovirus is one of the very
few neurotropic viruses, which presents with sepsis like illness or
encephalitis in neonates and can cause extensive white matter changes in the
brain. We present a 7-week-old infant with fever, lethargy and poor feeding,
who had extensive white matter changes on magnetic resonance imaging of the
brain. Cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction was positive for human
parechovirus.
Keywords: Human parechovirus, cerebrospinal fluid, polymerase chain reaction