According to Harrison's current edition (electronic of course) the zoster is
supposedly the commonest cause. It may be that the more severe cases (with
more significant cord damage) are shown to be associated with zoster, though
perhaps the less severe ones with other herpesviruses and latent viruses .
Apparently EBV is now also called HHV4, which I wasn't totally aware of till
yesterday. I am sure we now have cheaper and more accurate tools for making
better diagnoses of these previously obscure conditions, particularly with
PCR (viral DNA amplification) techniques. I gather the test is only around
UKP7.00 or thereabouts.The gold standard is the LP rather than whole blood
so they should all be sent to hospital for an LP I guess.
Dr Jon Wilcox
Glenfield Medical Centre,
452 Glenfield Road,
Auckland 1310, New Zealand
Phone or Fax +649-444-7656
e-mail   [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: John King <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, November 24, 1998 11:35
Subject: Re: Post Viral Myelitis


>In article <001d01be16c9$d42848c0$2298fea9@pcgenk6>, Jon Wilcox
><[log in to unmask]> writes
>>I have over the last 3 weeks observed a frightening episode of sub-acute
>>spinal myelitis in my 8 year old (just turned 9 but too crook to have a
>>party this year) with quite bizarre upper and lower limb neurological
>>symptoms/signs. The Epstein Barr virus DNA-amplification (polymerase chain
>>reaction) came back positive today (can be taken from whole blood cells or
>>preferably CSF). I have not witnessed anything similar in any of my own
>>paediatric 'clientele' over the last 15+ years. Has anybody experienced
any
>>similar conditions in their paediatric patients in recent times ?
>
>I remember seeing a case of transverse spinal myelitis in a young adult
>when I was a medical student. It was a rare, but recognised,
>complication of his chicken pox infection (same virus family).
>--
>Dr John M King
>GP North Staffordshire
>



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