Meningo encephalitis with Epstein-Barr virus in an immunocompetent adult patient: case report

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus is a rare ethology of the neurological infections, expressed as encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome or acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis. Most common cases were reported in children, while this infection is rarely described in immunocompetent adults. We present the case of an elderly immunocompetent patient with hypertension and hypothyroidism under treatment who has presented to the emergency department for unusual headache, confusion, sudden loss of consciousness with retrograde amnesia, suddenly onset for 2 hours associated with febrile respiratory symptoms. Traumatic neurological events, cerebral ischemia or metabolic encephalopathies were ruled out, while examination of the cerebrospinal fluid was positive for EpsteinBarr virus. The course of the meningoencephalitis was favourable, although an episode of diarrhoea with Clostridioides difficile with binary positive toxin A+B was notified. The primary infection or the reactivation of a previous infection, is a questionable mechanism of meningoencephalitis with Epstein-Barr virus in an old immunocompetent patient. According to the reported studies, the antiviral treatment with Acyclovir is controversial. The long-term prognosis of acute meningoencephalitis with Epstein-Barr virus is unpredictable and involves careful neurological and onco-haematological monitoring.

Keywords

• epstein-barr virus
• meningoencephalitis
• clostridioides difficile