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Volume 22, Number 9—September 2016
CME ACTIVITY - Research

Use of Testing for West Nile Virus and Other Arboviruses

Jakapat Vanichanan, Lucrecia Salazar, Susan H. Wootton, Elizabeth Aguilera, Melissa N. Garcia, Kristy O. Murray, and Rodrigo HasbunComments to Author 
Author affiliations: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA (J. Vanichanan, L. Salazar, S.H. Wootton, E. Aguilera, R. Hasbun); Baylor College of Medicine, Houston (M.N. Garcia, K.O. Murray)

Main Article

Table 2

Baseline clinical characteristics among 751 patients with meningitis and encephalitis, by West Nile virus testing utilization, Houston, Texas, USA

Clinical characteristic West Nile virus testing requested, no. (%), n = 281 West Nile virus testing not requested, no. (%), n = 470 p value*
Demographic
Male 129 (46) 228 (49) 0.50
Adult† 234 (83) 332 (70) <0.001
White
134 (48)
172 (37)
0.004
Concurrent medical conditions
Charlson Comorbidity Index score >1 32 (11) 38 (8) 0.15
HIV infection
16 (6)
26 (6)
1.0
Clinical features
Altered mental status 76 (28) 84 (18) 0.01
Headache 232 (83) 378 (80) 0.50
Nausea/vomiting 179 (64) 311 (66) 0.52
Seizure 22 (8) 31 (7) 0.39
Illness onset during West Nile virus season‡ 170 (60) 220 (47) 0.002
Fever >38OC 109 (38) 214 (46) 0.08
Glasgow Coma Scale score <15 45 (16) 43 (9) 0.007
Nuchal rigidity 71 (25) 112 (24) 0.66
Rash 4 (1) 17 (4) 0.11
Focal neurologic abnormalities 63 (22) 43 (9) <0.001
Clinical diagnosis of encephalitis§ 115 (41) 122 (26) <0.001

*p<0.001 after Bonferroni correction considered statistically significant.
†>18 y of age. Median age (range) of patients tested 35 (0.2–89), not tested 29 (0.1–92); p<0.001.
‡Jun–Oct.
§Possible, probable, or confirmed diagnosis of encephalitis according to the definition in (13).

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Page created: August 10, 2016
Page updated: August 16, 2016
Page reviewed: August 16, 2016
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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