Dengue encephalitis in French Guiana.

Thousands of cases of dengue fever (DF) and several cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever were recorded in French Guiana during the recent outbreak of dengue-2 virus (1991–1992) and in subsequent years. One case with clinical signs typical of classical DF with neurological complications is reported in this study. The neurological features (encephalitis) appeared during the acute phase, 2 days after the onset of fever. Dengue2 virus was detected in both the cerebrospinal fluid and blood sample. This case was fatal. This first reported case of classical DF with encephalitis in French Guiana is a new demonstration of the potential neurovirulence of dengue viruses.