关键词: 脑炎, 病毒性, 宏基因组学, 二代测序, 儿童

Abstract: Viral encephalitis is a central nervous system inflammatory disease involving the meninges and brain parenchyma，the common symptoms of which include fever，motor tics，and headache.Considering its lack of specific symptoms in early stage combined with high risks of mortality and disability，early diagnosis is of vital importance.This report examines three cases of pediatric herpes simplex encephalitis （HSE） who were diagnosed at an early stage using metagenomics next-generation sequencing （mNGS）. Compared with conventional approaches to diagnosis of viral encephalitis，next-generation sequencing of cerebrospinal fluid enabled earlier etiological diagnosis，which may have important implications for early diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines.

Key words: Encephalitis, viral；Metagenomics；Second-generation sequencing；Child