Virologic Studies in Children With Acute Myocarditis

THE 12 children to be described in this report met rigid criteria for the presence of nonrheumatic, myocardial disease. Their clinical and laboratory findings are presented to stress the high incidence of associated viral infection and the probable etiologic importance of viral agents in the production of acute myocarditis.

Materials and Methods  Subjects.—The 12 study children, seven boys and five girls, ranged in age from 2 months to 12 years. Seven were less than 12 months. The group was predominately Negro (eight of the 12).The patients had one or more of the following characteristics: (1) abnormal electrocardiographic findings, (2) evidence of cardiomegaly, or (3) the signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure.One child (patient 5) had congenital heart disease; the others were normal prior to the acute onset of cardiac illness.Virus-Isolation Technique.—Throat and rectal swabbings were examined in trypsinized cultures of primary rhesus monkey renal