Central nervous system infection with Seoul Orthohantavirus in a child after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a case report

BACKGROUND: Patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) are prone to complicate viral infection. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement caused by the viruses is rare but with poor prognosis. Hantavirus, which usually cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), and none case has been reported about these infection in allo-HSCT patients. CASE PRESENTATION: In August 2021, a 13-year-old male child developed intermittent fever and refractory hypotension after allo-HSCT. Magnetic resonance imaging of the head revealed abnormal signal foci in the left midbrain cerebral peduncle and bilateral thalamus. His family reported traces of mouse activity in the patient’s home kitchen. HFRS was suspected, but with no significant kidney damage. The specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G and M of hantavirus were negative. The metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) detected Seoul Orthohantavirus (SEOV) sequences directly in cerebrospinal fluid and blood. CONCLUSIONS: Allo-HSCT patients are a high-risk group for infection. Usually the causative agent of infection is difficult to determine, and sometimes the site of infection is concealed. This report highlights the importance of suspecting hantavirus infection in allo-HSCT patients with CNS symptoms despite the absence of renal syndromes. The mNGS is a powerful tool for detecting pathogens. CNS infection with Seoul orthohantavirus in transplant patients is rare but possible as demonstrated in this case. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case employing mNGS to diagnose SEOV caused CNS infection in an allo-HSCT patient. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12985-022-01766-6.