Innate Immune Responses in Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid From Neonates and Infants Infected With Parechovirus-A3 or Enteroviruses

BACKGROUND: Parechovirus (PeV)-A3 and enteroviruses (EV) are the most common viruses causing sepsis and meningoencephalitis in neonates and young infants. Clinical manifestations of PeV-A3 infection are more severe than those of EV infection, and no pleocytosis with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result for PeV-A3 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are characteristic findings. We hypothesized that innate immune responses to PeV-A3 and EV are distinct in serum and CSF. METHODS: We evaluated 22 cytokines/chemokines in serum and CSF from PeV-A3- or EV-infected patients younger than 4 months in Niigata, Japan, from 2015 through 2018. Infection was diagnosed with real-time PCR followed by sequencing. Febrile neonates and infants with sepsis-like syndrome who had negative bacterial culture and viral PCR for both PeV-A and EV were also included (non-PeV-A/EV patients). RESULTS: Among 192 febrile patients, we evaluated 16 PeV-A3-infected, 15 EV-infected, and 8 non-PeV-A/EV patients. Serum pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine levels were higher in PeV-A3-infected patients than in EV-infected patients (P < .02). Although most cytokine/chemokine were elevated in CSF from EV-infected patients, levels were low or undetectable in PeV-A3-infected and non-PeV-A/EV patients (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Distinct cytokine/chemokine patterns in serum and CSF may explain the different clinical manifestations of PeV-A3-infected and EV-infected neonates and young infants.