NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCING OF A PART OF THE 5'-NONCODING REGION OF ECHOVIRUS TYPE-9 AND RAPID VIRUS DETECTION DURING THE ACUTE-PHASE OF ASEPTIC-MENINGITIS

A part of the 5'-noncoding region of echovirus type 9 isolates was seq uenced, and an attempt was made for rapid virus detection in clinical samples obtained from 22 subjects hospitalized with aseptic meningitis . The sequence identity of 440-bp products amplified from the region b y RT-PCR was 87.7% between the standard echovirus type 9 (Hill strain) and the isolates. Specific IgM antibodies to Hill strain were positiv e in 45.5% by immunofluorescent antibody staining of virus-infected ce lls. A high detection rate of PCR products was observed in cerebrospin al fluids (CSFs; 54.5%) at admission, and in peripheral mononuclear ce lls (PMCs; 72.7%) at the end of hospitalization. Viral genomes were de tectable for 2 days in serum samples, and for 6 days in PMC samples af ter onset of disease. When specific IgM antibody titers were less than 1:40, the amplification rate of viral genome from serum samples was 5 0.0%. These results indicate that the combination of specific IgM dete rmination and viral genome amplification from CSFs will be a rapid and reliable method for early diagnosis.