Introduction: Childhood is sensibly affected by viral meningoencephalitis outbreaks.
Objective: To study the intrathecal humoral immune response in a group of children suffering from Coxsackie B5 meningoencephalitis outbreak. Patients and methods. Forty eight sick children were studied. Serum and cerebrospinal IgA, IgM, IgG and albumin were quantified by radial immunodiffusion. It had been evaluated by reibergrams.
Results: Seventeen children has blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier dysfunction. Four different patterns of intrathecal immune humoral response were observed mainly IgG and three major immunoglobulins class. Mean cell counts was 624 +/- 517 x 10(6) cells/l with a lymphocyte predominance.
Conclusion: An intrathecal humoral response were reported as an early patterns like in delayed non-diagnostic puncture and in evolutive puncture in adults patterns with viral meningoencephalitis.