Work

Parechovirus meningitis in infants: report of the first cluster of cases in Saudi Arabia

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • First report of PeV CNS infection in Saudi Arabian infants • PeV-A3 variant caused severe neonatal and infant CNS disease • Underdiagnosis likely due to limited local testing capacity • Findings inform diagnosis and care in Middle East pediatric cases Parechoviruses (PeVs) are RNA viruses that belong to the Picornaviridae family. Parechovirus A is known to cause human disease, particularly in neonates and young infants. The symptoms of infection can range from mild febrile and respiratory illnesses to severe sepsis-like conditions and central nervous system (CNS) infections. In 2022, there were clusters of PeV infections reported in various parts of the world, prompting public health agencies to issue a health advisory to alert physicians about the circulating PeVs causing CNS infections in children. Reports of PeV infections in Gulf Council countries are scarce. We present here the clinical presentation and outcome of PeV CNS infections in a neonate and a young infant.

Source: IJID Regions

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijregi.2025.100772

Authors: Abdulnasir AlOtaibi, Ruba Alharbi, Ali A. Rabaan, Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq