Hepatitis and Encephalitis due to Coxsackie Virus A9 in an Adult

Coxsackie virus infection most commonly manifests itself in the neonatal period as a multisystem disease. This life-threatening neonatal infection has been recently treated with a new anti-picornaviral drug, pleconaril. In contrast, in adults Coxsackie virus is an uncommon source of hepatitis, but Coxsackie virus type B has been described in case reports to cause hepatitis. This is the first case report of hepatitis and encephalitis secondary to Coxsackie virus type A9 in an adult. This virus was found in a culture of the cerebrospinal fluid and was confirmed by PCR. The patient recovered completely without specific treatment.