Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Aug:15:100282.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100282. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in cerebrospinal fluid: Presentation of two cases and review of literature

Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in cerebrospinal fluid: Presentation of two cases and review of literature

María Belén Luis et al. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection are multiple and heterogeneous. However, confirmation of nervous system impairment by viral RNA detection in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is uncommon. We report two cases of central nervous system (CNS) involvement with positive real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test in CSF.

Keywords: Encephalitis; Meningoencephalitis; Myelitis; Neuroimaging; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 RNA; SARS-CoV-2 infection; SARS-CoV-2 neurological manifestations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Case 1 Brain Mri Findings (A - B) Hyperintense lesions on fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) sequence involving the cerebellum, thalamus and basal ganglia. (C–D) Focal area of markedly increased signal on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with decrease apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the splenium of the corpus callosum.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Case 1 Spinal Cord Mri Findings (A-D) Signal hyperintensity on Short Tau Inversion Recovery (STIR) sequence extending from C2 to Th3 level and from Th5 to Th10 (longitudinally extensive myelitis), with patchy and eccentric contrast enhancement. T1 post contrast cervical and lumbar pial enhancement associated to conus medullaris enhancement.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Ahmad I., Rathore F.A. Neurological manifestations and complications of COVID-19: a literature review. J. Clin. Neurosci. 2020 Jul;77:8–12. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2020.05.017. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Al-olama M. COVID-19-associated meningoencephalitis complicated with intracranial hemorrhage: a case report. Acta Neurochir. 2020 Jul;162(7):1495–1499. doi: 10.1007/s00701-020-04402-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. AlKetbi R. Acute myelitis as a neurological complication ofCovid-19:A case report and MRI findings. Radiol Case Rep. 2020 Jun;15(9):1591–1595. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.06.001. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barros Domingues R. First case of SARS-COV-2 sequencing in cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with suspected demyelinating disease. J. Neurol. 2020 Nov;267(11):3154–3156. doi: 10.1007/s00415-020-09996-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cebrián J. Headache and impaired consciousness level associated with SARSCoV-2 in CSF: a case report. Neurology. 2020 Aug;95(6):266–268. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000010213. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources