TY - JOUR
T1 - Human outbreak of St. Louis encephalitis detected in Argentina, 2005
AU - Spinsanti, Lorena I.
AU - Díaz, Luis A.
AU - Glatstein, Nora
AU - Arselán, Sergio
AU - Morales, María A.
AU - Farías, Adrián A.
AU - Fabbri, Cintia
AU - Aguilar, Juán J.
AU - Ré, Viviana
AU - Frías, María
AU - Almirón, Walter R.
AU - Hunsperger, Elizabeth
AU - Siirin, Marina
AU - Da Rosa, Amelia Travassos
AU - Tesh, Robert B.
AU - Enría, Delia
AU - Contigiani, Marta
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from FONCYT 01-12572, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Fundación A. Roemmers; SECYT-UNC and Pan American Health Organization and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (contract NO1-AI 30027).
PY - 2008/5
Y1 - 2008/5
N2 - Background: An outbreak of flavivirus encephalitis occurred in 2005 in Córdoba province, Argentina. Objectives: To characterize the epidemiologic and clinical features of that outbreak and provide the serologic results that identified St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) as the etiologic agent. Study design: From January to May 2005, patients with symptoms of encephalitis, meningitis, or fever with severe headache were evaluated and an etiologic diagnosis achieved by detection of flavivirus-specific antibody sera and cerebrospinal fluid. Results: The epidemic curve of 47 cases showed an explosive outbreak starting in January 2005 with one peak in mid-February and a second peak in mid-March; the epidemic ended in May. Cases occurred predominantly among persons 60 years and older. Nine deaths were reported. SLEV antibodies, when detected in 47 patients studied, had a pattern characteristic of a primary SLEV infection. Conclusions: Even though isolated cases of St. Louis encephalitis have been reported in Argentina, this is the first description of a large SLEV encephalitis outbreak in Argentina.
AB - Background: An outbreak of flavivirus encephalitis occurred in 2005 in Córdoba province, Argentina. Objectives: To characterize the epidemiologic and clinical features of that outbreak and provide the serologic results that identified St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) as the etiologic agent. Study design: From January to May 2005, patients with symptoms of encephalitis, meningitis, or fever with severe headache were evaluated and an etiologic diagnosis achieved by detection of flavivirus-specific antibody sera and cerebrospinal fluid. Results: The epidemic curve of 47 cases showed an explosive outbreak starting in January 2005 with one peak in mid-February and a second peak in mid-March; the epidemic ended in May. Cases occurred predominantly among persons 60 years and older. Nine deaths were reported. SLEV antibodies, when detected in 47 patients studied, had a pattern characteristic of a primary SLEV infection. Conclusions: Even though isolated cases of St. Louis encephalitis have been reported in Argentina, this is the first description of a large SLEV encephalitis outbreak in Argentina.
KW - Argentina
KW - Encephalitis outbreak
KW - SLEV antibodies
KW - St. Louis encephalitis virus
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/38549170702
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/38549170702#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1016/j.jcv.2007.11.022
DO - 10.1016/j.jcv.2007.11.022
M3 - Article
C2 - 18249032
AN - SCOPUS:38549170702
SN - 1386-6532
VL - 42
SP - 27
EP - 33
JO - Journal of Clinical Virology
JF - Journal of Clinical Virology
IS - 1
ER -