Parechovirus meningitis in infants: report of the first cluster of cases in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Parechoviruses (PeVs) are RNA viruses that belong to the Picornaviridae family. PeV-A is known to cause human disease, particularly in neonates and young infants. The symptoms of infection can range from mild febrile and respiratory illnesses to severe sepsis-like conditions and central nervous system (CNS) infections. In 2022, clusters of PeV infections were reported in various parts of the world, prompting public health agencies to issue a health advisory to alert physicians about circulating PeVs causing CNS infections in children. Reports of PeV infections in Gulf Council countries are scarce. We present here the clinical presentation and outcome of PeV CNS infections in a neonate and a young infant.