[Central nervous system viral infections--analysis of routine laboratory results].

The most of registered in Poland cases of encephalitis and meningitis have viral aetiology. Confirmation of viral central nervous system (CNS) infection and diagnosis of pathogenic agent is critical for therapeutic treatment, especially if antiviral chemotherapy is available. The aim of this work was analysis of routine laboratory results obtained in Laboratory of Department of Virology NIZP-PZH by examination of materials obtained from 82 medical canters in Poland in aim of CNS infection confirmation. Materials, cerebrospinal fluid (CSN) n=277, and CSN together with serum (n=452) were obtained from patients aged from 3 days to 83 years. Accordingly with the range of tests performed in Laboratory of Department of Virology NIZP-PZH, obtained samples were examinated for 11 viral infections: HSV, CMV, EBV, VZV, HHV-6, HHV-7, TBE, measles, mumps, rubella and enteroviruses. Confirmation of viral infection was obtained in 104 out of 729 tested patients (14.3%). The highest number of confirmations was obtained in case of TBE infection (18.4%) and HSV (9.2%). The methods gave the highest number of confirmations were testing of intrathecal IgG synthesis (14.4%) and presence of IgM in serum (10.3%). If test was conducted only with CSF, confirmation of viral infection was obtained in 13 cases (4.7%). In conclusions it was ascertained that testing CSF and serum samples together greatly increase possibility of etiological agent detection and a range of ordered tests (i.e. intrathecal synthesis versus PCR) should account dynamics of pathological process.