Acute transverse myelitis following Dengue virus infection

The spinal cord is infrequently affected following dengue virus infection. We report a case of transverse myelitis that developed 2 weeks after acute dengue infection and review the literature to elucidate the pathogenesis of spinal cord involvement in dengue infection. We postulate that temporal factors may play a role in the different clinical manifestations, i.e. that acute parainfectious dengue infection presents with flaccid paralysis, whereas late-stage (postinfectious) dengue infection, presents with spastic weakness. Further studies need to be performed to elucidate the mechanisms of spinal neurological damage in dengue. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.