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Purpose of Review: Herpesviruses are a leading cause of encephalitis worldwide. The article reviews the eight human herpesviruses with a focus on recent advances as they pertain to encephalitis. Recent Findings: Notable recent updates include the development of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based panels, which have improved access to PCR tests, especially in rural and resource-limited areas. Despite unchanged treatment recommendations, research is ongoing into novel therapies. There have been recent advances in vaccines, particularly for varicella zoster virus (VZV) which may impact neurologic complications. Finally, the recent discovery of an association between herpes encephalitis and post-infectious autoimmune encephalitis has had a critical impact on the fields of infectious and autoimmune neurology, though there remains much to learn. Summary: Most herpesviruses are neurotropic and must be considered on the differential diagnosis for infectious encephalitis. This article describes recent advances in the diagnosis, treatment, complications, and management of these infections.

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BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in the population are mostly subclinical, inapparent, or latent. However, it is rare in brain tissue. Most reported CMV encephalitis cases were patients with immunodeficiency. The diagnosis and detection rate of CMV encephalitis in patients with normal immune function needs to be further improved. CASE SUMMARY: An 86-year-old male was admitted due to a sudden onset of unconsciousness for 3 h. The patient developed status epilepticus and was relieved after antiepileptic treatment. Encephalitis was considered due to the high signals of diffusion-weighted imaging sequences in the right central region by magnetic resonance imaging. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of blood and cerebrospinal fluid revealed CMV, with unique reads number being 614 and 1, respectively. Simultaneous quantitative PCR results showed CMV positive in blood samples and negative in cerebrospinal fluid samples. The patient was finally diagnosed as CMV encephalitis with status epilepticus. After the antiviral, hormonal, and γ-globulin pulse therapy, the patient's condition improved, and he was finally discharged. CONCLUSION: mNGS could be a reliable approach for the diagnosis of CMV encephalitis, with high efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity.

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Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of the central nervous system (CNS) is a rare but life-threatening complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).Cases presentation: Two patients with drug-resistant CMV encephalitis after allo-HSCT were successfully treated with donor CMV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). In the first case, a 27-year-old male who received haploidentical transplantation to treat T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), developed CMV encephalitis during the time of the ganciclovir maintenance treatment. After intravenous foscarnet and donor CMV-specific CTLs, CMV-DNA of CSF became undetectable and the abnormal signs of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were limited. Another case, a 57-year-old female with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who underwent haploidentical transplantation, also developed CMV encephalitis during the maintenance treatment of the ganciclovir. After administering donor CMV-specific CTLs intrathecally, the CMV load of the CSF decreased.Conclusions: The intravenous/intratheca administration of donor CMV-specific CTLs may be a safe and effective treatment for CMV encephalitis, especially for patients who suffered from drug-resistant CMV infection.

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OBJECTIVE: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) encephalitis is a disease that primarily affects immunocompromised hosts. Only a few cases have been reported in immunocompetent individuals, especially in children. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of immunocompetent children with CMV encephalitis attending a single medical center in southwest China over a 15-year period. METHODS: The medical records of children with confirmed CMV encephalitis who were hospitalized in the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University during the years 2002-2017 were reviewed. An analysis of the clinical features, laboratory data, and the treatment response to antiviral therapy was performed. RESULTS: The median age of the patients (n = 18) was 5.1 months. 'Seizures' was the earliest and most common neurological symptom, while fever and poor feeding were also present in most patients. Elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein was the most noticeable biochemical finding. After treatment with two-stage ganciclovir, all patients showed a steady clinical improvement. The total adverse drug reaction (ADR) rate was 27.3%, mainly presenting as effects on the hematopoietic system and liver. During follow-up ranging from 3 to 36 months, nine patients showed a complete recovery. At the stage of diagnosis, CMV PCR of CSF was positive in all patients, while anti-CMV IgM was positive in 77.8% of patients. After treatment with two-stage ganciclovir, all patients showed a negative result for CMV genome in the CSF and a clear decrease in the urine. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility of CMV encephalitis in the immunocompetent child should be kept in mind, especially in those younger than 6 months of age. Suspicion for a diagnosis of CMV encephalitis is needed in the presence of unexplained prominent seizure, fever, poor feeding, and a marked elevation of protein level in the CSF. CMV PCR assays of CSF are necessary to determine the etiology. Furthermore, measurement of the CMV load in CSF and urine may be useful for evaluating the response to treatment and the outcome. Ganciclovir may lead to clinical improvement with limited ADR. CMV encephalitis in the immunocompetent infant does not necessarily indicate a poor short-term prognosis.

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