Detection of SARS Coronavirus RNA in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of a Patient with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a recently emerged disease caused by a novel coronavirus, the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) (1)(2). Although the respiratory manifestations of SARS are well recognized, the neurologic manifestations have been much less studied (1). Here we report a SARS patient with clinical and laboratory evidence of neurologic involvement. A 59-year-old woman with IgA nephropathy was admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong in early May 2003 because of swinging fever, chills, productive cough, and diarrhea. She was previously admitted in April with fungal peritonitis related to her peritoneal dialysis. Despite antifungal and antibiotic therapy, her respiratory function deteriorated. She became increasingly dyspneic and required supplemental oxygen. High-resolution computer tomography …