Case report reveals acute onset of encephalitis due to cytomegalovirus in an immunocompetent patient, highlighting the importance of MRI and PCR in diagnostics.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a viral infection that is generally considered benign in immunocompetent patients; however, it can be life-threatening in immunocompromised patients. We present the case of a 46-year-old patient with severe primary CMV encephalitis. The patient presented to the hospital emergency department with impaired alertness and speech. A brain scan and initial lumbar puncture (LP) were normal. However, the patient’s state of consciousness deteriorated rapidly with the onset of seizures, prompting a brain MRI scan, which revealed lesions suggestive of encephalitis. PCR detection of cytomegalovirus was confirmed on a second lumbar puncture. Following the confirmation of the diagnosis, the patient was commenced on appropriate antiviral treatment, which resulted in a favourable outcome. Our aim is to report on the clinical manifestations and the contribution of imaging to the diagnosis of CMV encephalitis in immunocompetent persons.
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Chait et al. (2025) studied this question.
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