Article in Japanese

Acute cerebellar ataxia following asymptomatic mumps virus infection

Atsumi TSUJI, Atsushi ISOZAKI

Acute cerebellar ataxia is a neurological disorder which usually follows some infections. Mumps virus is one of the most common causes of this syndrome. Herein, a 16-month-old girl presented with a gait disorder but demonstrated no infectious symptoms. Her brain and spinal MRIs were normal. We thought her gait disorder was caused by acute cerebellar ataxia after certain infection. We suspected that she had a mumps viral infection because she had contact with her sibling who was diagnosed with parotitis. Mumps virus RNA was detected in her saliva by RT-PCR and we concluded that her ataxia was the result of mumps. Her gait disorder recovered after 9 days without any medicine. The mumps virus has an affinity to the central nervous system so that mumps patients sometimes suffer from neurological disorders including meningitis, encephalitis, hearing loss, and acute cerebellar ataxia. This case suggests that an asymptomatic mumps virus infection can also induce acute cerebellar ataxia. We should make much effort to recommend mumps vaccination.

---

Department of Pediatrics, Yokohama City Minato Red Cross Hospital

Key words
Received	March 29, 2011
Accepted	August 26, 2011

24 (1)：11─14,2012