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Purpose: Investigation of undiagnosed cases of infectious neurological diseases, especially in the paediatric population, remains a challenge. This study aimed to enhance understanding of viruses in CSF from children with clinically diagnosed meningitis and/or encephalitis (M/ME) of unknown aetiology using shotgun sequencing enhanced by hybrid capture (HCSS). Methods: A single-centre prospective study was conducted at Sant Joan de Déu University Hospital, Barcelona, involving 40 M/ME episodes of unknown aetiology, recruited from May 2021 to July 2022. All participants had previously tested negative with the FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel. HCSS was used to detect viral nucleic acid in the patients' CSF. Sequencing was performed on Illumina NovaSeq platform. Raw sequence data were analysed using CZ ID metagenomics and PikaVirus bioinformatics pipelines. Results: Forty episodes of M/ME of unknown aetiology in 39 children were analysed by HCSS. A significant viral detection in 30 CSF samples was obtained, including six parechovirus A, three enterovirus ACD, four polyomavirus 5, three HHV-7, two BKV, one HSV-1, one VZV, two CMV, one EBV, one influenza A virus, one rhinovirus, and 13 HERV-K113 detections. Of these, one sample with BKV, three with HHV-7, one with EBV, and all HERV-K113 were confirmed by specific PCR. The requirement for Intensive Care Unit admission was associated with HCSS detections. Conclusion: This study highlights HCSS as a powerful tool for the investigation of undiagnosed cases of M/ME. Data generated must be carefully analysed and reasonable precautions must be taken before establishing association of clinical features with unexpected or novel virus findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The habitat weighting method, chorotype classification and the bioclimatic model, as well as the Simpson diversity index, are applied to the small-vertebrate assemblage of Cova del Rinoceront (Castelldefels, Barcelona) in order to reconstruct the environmental and climatic fluctuations that are reflected in the MIS 5 sequence of the cave. The small-vertebrate data analysed are from Unit 1 of the sequence, which comprises three MIS 5 layers (III to I). They allow one cool and two warm episodes to be identified within the section. The warm episodes are related with open-woodland formations and temperatures higher than at present in the area, though in layer III our data suggest moist conditions, with the precipitation higher than today, which could probably be related with the beginning of MIS 5e. Layer II is associated with drier conditions, with precipitation lower than nowadays, which could probably be related with MIS 5c. By contrast, layer I is associated with open woodland formations, but with cooler and relatively humid conditions than today to judge by the temperature and precipitation data obtained. This could probably be related with MIS 5b. Our results are consistent with the available chronological, large-mammal, bird and palaeobotanical datasets for this upper part of the sequence. They are also consistent with the pollen record from the marine margins of Iberia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]