COVID-19 infection recurrence presenting with meningoencephalitis

• DOI: 10.1016/j.nmni.2020.100732
• Publication Date: 2020-07-23T06:53:30Z
• Authors: M. Mardani; S. Alireza Nadji; K. Aghazadeh Sarh...; A. Sharifi-Razavi; M. Baziboroun
• Keywords: Nervous system; 0301 basic medicine; New Microbes in Human; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Microbiology; 3. Good health; Coronavirus; 03 medical and health sciences; Infectious Diseases; 0302 clinical medicine; Síndrome respiratorio agudo grave; Recurrence; Encephalitis; Meningitis

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection can involve many organs, such as central nervous system, including in relapse. We describe the case of a 64-year-old woman with microbiologically confirmed COVID-19-induced respiratory distress whose treatment resulted in a negative nasopharyngeal swab reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) result for COVID-19. However, after a few weeks, relapse occurred, as indicated by symptoms of acute meningoencephalitis. Results of COVID-19 RT-PCR testing from her cerebrospinal fluid, nasopharyngeal and tracheal aspiration specimens became positive again, but COVID-19 serum antibodies were negative. We therefore note that symptoms with neurologic involvement can be one of COVID-19's first presentations, or they can appear at relapse. Regular evaluation of patients during convalescence is therefore necessary.