Etiology of viral meningoencephalitis is frequently unidentified. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) have been known to affect the central nervous system, and should, therefore, be considered for diagnosis of meningoencephalitis since its outcome may be influenced by the etiologic agent, age and immunological condition of the patient. In this study we aimed to determine if CHIKV and ZIKV were the etiological agent of viral encephalitis in meningoencephalitis patients admitted to the main hospital of infectious disease in the city of Salvador, Brazil. From 1049 patients with neurological symptoms who were admitted to the hospital during the time of this study, 149 were enrolled and 20 (13.34%) tested positive for ZIKV (12%) or CHIKV (1.34%). No specific clinical manifestations were observed to be associated to the ZIKV or CHIKV infection. Determination of the etiology of meningitis’ and encephalitis’ causing agent is important for patient management and correct treatment.

病毒性脑膜脑炎的病因常常不明。已知基孔肯雅病毒 (CHIKV) 和寨卡病毒 (ZIKV) 会影响中枢神经系统，因此应考虑用于诊断脑膜脑炎，因为其结果可能受病原体、年龄和患者免疫状况的影响. 在这项研究中，我们旨在确定 CHIKV 和 ZIKV 是否是在巴西萨尔瓦多市主要传染病医院收治的脑膜脑炎患者中病毒性脑炎的病原体。在本研究期间入院的 1049 名有神经系统症状的患者中，有 149 名入组，20 名 (13.34%) 的 ZIKV (12%) 或 CHIKV (1.34%) 检测呈阳性。没有观察到与 ZIKV 或 CHIKV 感染相关的特定临床表现。确定脑膜炎和脑炎病原体的病因对于患者管理和正确治疗很重要。