Dräger, Sarah; Marx, Anna-Friederike; Pigny, Fiona; Cherpillod, Pascal; Eisermann, Philip; Sendi, Parham; Widmer, Andreas F (2019). Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus meningitis after needlestick injury: a case report. Antimicrobial resistance and infection control, 8(77), p. 77. BioMed Central 10.1186/s13756-019-0524-4
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Background
Needlestick accidents while handling of infectious material in research laboratories can lead to life-threatening infections in laboratory personnel. In laboratories working with the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), the virus can be transmitted to humans through needlestick injury and lead to serious acute illness up to meningitis.
Case presentation
We report of a case of LCMV meningitis in a laboratory worker who sustained a penetrating needlestick injury with a LCMV-contaminated hollow needle whilst disposing of a used syringe into the sharps waste bin. Four days after needlestick injury the laboratory worker developed a systemic disease: 11 days after exposure, she was diagnosed with meningitis with clinical signs and symptoms of meningismus, photophobia, nausea and vomiting, requiring hospitalisation. The PCR was positive for LCMV from the blood sample. 18 days after exposure, seroconversion confirmed the diagnosis of LCMV-induced meningitis with an increase in specific LCMV-IgM antibodies to 1:10'240 (day 42: 1:20'480). Ten weeks after exposure, a follow-up titre for IgM returned negative, whereas IgG titre increased to 1:20'480.
Conclusions
This is the first case report of a PCR-documented LCMV meningitis, coupled with seroconversion, following needlestick injury. It highlights the importance of infection prevention practices that comprise particularly well established safety precaution protocols in research laboratories handling this pathogenic virus, because exposure to even a small amount of LCMV can lead to a severe, life-threatening infection.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Further Contribution) |
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Division/Institute: |
04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute for Infectious Diseases |
UniBE Contributor: |
Sendi, Parham |
Subjects: |
500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology 600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health |
ISSN: |
2047-2994 |
Publisher: |
BioMed Central |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Parham Sendi |
Date Deposited: |
14 Nov 2019 15:27 |
Last Modified: |
05 Dec 2022 15:32 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1186/s13756-019-0524-4 |
PubMed ID: |
31139360 |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Accidental infection Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus Meningitis Needlestick injury RT-PCR |
BORIS DOI: |
10.7892/boris.134928 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/134928 |
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