Diagnosis of Epstein‐Barr virus–induced central nervous system infections by DNA amplification from cerebrospinal fluid

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Abstract
A nested polymerase chain reaction was used for the detection of Epstein‐Barr virus DNA in 1 patient with encephalitis, and in 1 patient with myelitis. Epstein‐Barr virus DNA was detected in cerebrospinal fluid samples obtained at the onset of neurological symptoms in both patients, and serological findings indicated ongoing Epstein‐Barr virus infection. In the patient with encephalitis, herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA was transiently detected in the cerebrospinal fluid, while Epstein‐Barr virus DNA was still present on day 44 after admittance. Single‐photon emission computed tomography in this patient indicated a frontal bilateral hypoperfusion. The diagnostic value of polymerase chain reaction on cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples for Epstein‐Barr virus infections of the central nervous system is emphasized.