OUTBREAK OF VERTIGO IN WYOMING - POSSIBLE ROLE OF AN ENTEROVIRUS INFECTION

An epidemiologic investigation was conducted to characterize and evalu ate the possibility of a viral aetiology of an outbreak of acute verti go in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, during autumn 1992. Case-finding id entified Hot Springs County residents who sought medical attention for new onset vertigo during 1 August, 1992-31 January 1993. Thirty-five case-patients and 61 matched controls were interviewed and serum speci mens were obtained during January 1993. Case-patients were more likely than controls to report symptoms (e.g. fatigue, sore throat, fever, d iarrhoea) of antecedent acute illness. Case-patients did not have a si gnificantly greater prevalence or mean titre of IgG antibodies to resp iratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, an d cytomegalovirus than controls. Serologic evidence of recent enterovi rus infection (IgM antibodies) was found for 74% of case-patients comp ared with 54% of controls (P < 0.05), suggesting a possible associatio n between vertigo and enterovirus infection. Future studies are needed to define the role of enteroviruses in inner-ear diseases.