Affiliations: United States Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3,
Cairo, Egypt | High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria,
Egypt | Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt
Note: [] Correspondence: Emad W. Mohareb, Ph.D., Commanding Officer,
United States Naval Medical Research, Attn: code 303A, Viral and Zoonotic
Diseases Research Program Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt. Tel.: +2 22 348 0369; Fax:
+2 22 342 7121; E-mail: emad.mohareb.eg@med.navy.mil
Abstract: Sandfly fever (SF) viruses are known to spread in the Mideteranean
basin and some species were shown to cause different forms of encephalitis.
This case report describes an 8-year-old girl who was admitted to a rural
hospital in Egypt with fever and myalgia. The clinical presentation included
signs suggesting cerebrospinal infection. Cerebrospinal fluid aspects suggested
viral infection. Virological diagnosis was obtained by serological tests, and
reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and virus isolation cultures
against a panel of viruses. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IgM antibodies
and plaque reduction neutralization tests suggested that sandfly Scilian virus
is the causing etiology.
