Abstract

Human Par-echovirus (HPeV) is a potentially severe viral infection in neonates and young infants. This virus often causes gastrointestinal or respiratory illness in young children and, infrequently, causes disease in older children and adults. In infants can present with a sepsis-like picture, often with Central Nervous System (CNS) involvement, which is difficult to differentiate clinically from bacterial sepsis. We describe a case of parechovirus infection in an 8-day-old female newborn with a very severe clinical picture and serious CNS involvement. Starting from this case report we provide an overview of HPeV infections which, in our opinion, are currently underdiagnosed while should be considered more carefully.

Keywords: Human para-echovirus; CNS involvement; Neonates and young infants