Epidemiological features of viral encephalitis in Cangzhou of China with use of multiplex RT-PCR for five RNA viruses

• Published in: Journal of virological methods 2015-09, Vol.222, p.178-181
• Main Authors: Kong, Xiangjun, Zhang, Lei, Liu, Kehun, Chen, Hu, Li, Baohui, Wu, Rui, Ji, Chunxue
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cerebrospinal Fluid - virology; Child; Child, Preschool; China; China - epidemiology; Encephalitis, Viral - epidemiology; Encephalitis, Viral - virology; Enterovirus; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - methods; Epidemiological feature; Female; Hospitals; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Japanese encephalitis virus; Male; Measles morbillivirus; Measles virus; Middle Aged; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Multiplex RT-PCR; Mumps orthorubulavirus; Mumps virus; pathogens; Retrospective Studies; reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; RNA Viruses - classification; RNA Viruses - isolation & purification; Rubella virus; Sensitivity and Specificity; Time Factors; Viral encephalitis; viruses; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0166-0934; 1879-0984
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2015.06.009

•We used a multiplex RT-PCR method established by our laboratory in this study.•The multiplex RT-PCR method can simultaneously detect five kinds of RNA viruses.•The sensitivity and specificity of the multiplex RT-PCR were higher than that of ELISA.•The most common pathogens responsible for viral encephalitis in Cangzhou, Hebei province, China, were EVs, and the multiplex RT-PCR was a rapid, sensitive, accurate method of detecting the viruses responsible for causes these illnesses. With use of multiplex RT-PCR testing the five RNA viruses associated with viral encephalitis, the aim of research is to find out the epidemiological features of viral encephalitis in Cangzhou of China. Patients hospitalized in Cangzhou central hospital with the diagnosis of viral encephalitis from January 2010 to December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. The sensitivity and specificity of multiplex RT-PCR was compared with ELISA through testing CSF samples of enterovirus (EVs), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), mumps virus (MUV), measles virus (MV) and rubella virus (RV). Disease incidence of viral encephalitis in Cangzhou of China was 18.6 per 100 thousand, and the main pathogen focused on EVs, MUV, JEV, MV and RV, which positive rate were 27.8%, 14.4%, 12.2%, 6.7% and 3.3% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity were all higher than ELISA. The most common pathogens responsible for viral encephalitis in Cangzhou, Hebei province, China, were EVs, and the multiplex RT-PCR was a rapid, sensitive, accurate method of testing the viruses responsible for causing these illnesses.