Sir.—Acute transverse myelitis (ATM), an acute intramedullary spinal cord disease manifested by paraplegia, segmental sensory loss, impaired sphincter control, and a nonprogressive course, may be the result of viral infection. Various viruses, including cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, Epstein-Barr virus, rubella, and mumps, have been reported to cause myelitis, which may also occur rarely after varicella and measles.1,2 To our knowledge, only two previous cases of ATM have been reported in association with entero cytopathogenic human orphan (ECHO) virus infection.3,4 We describe a child who developed ATM and encephalitis from whom ECHO virus type 5 was recovered from throat, feces, and spinal fluid.
Patient Report.—A 3½-year-old boy developed fever, vomiting, and diarrhea four days before hospitalization. Three days later, he complained of pain in both thighs; he was unable to walk and could not urinate. He had no history of antecedent back injury, rash, immunization, or