Madariaga virus infection associated with a case of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

We present the first report of a pediatric case of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) associated with Madariaga virus infection (MADV, Alphavirus, Togaviridae; formerly known as South American variants of eastern equine encephalitis virus [EEEV]) in a patient of the 2010 alphaviral epidemic reported in Panama. The patient was admitted to the Hospital del Niño in Panama City with suspected meningitis, exhibited with decreased alertness and disorientation in space and time, hemiparesis, and left Babinski sign. The patient was transferred to the intensive care unit and treated with aciclovir and methylprednisolone. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed multiple hyperintense lesions at T2-weighted images (T2) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) on the cortical-subcortical level. Sera samples obtained on days 6 and 12 were immunoglobulin M (IgM) positive for MADV. The findings on the clinical and cerebrospinal analyses, rapid symptom progression as well as neuroimaging, and serologic studies support our diagnosis. Our results suggest that MADV should be included in the etiologic differential diagnosis of ADEM in endemic countries.