STUDY PROTOCOL Open Access The evaluation of a tailore t e

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground There is evidence that the current clinical management of serious acute neurological infections is suboptimal [1-3]. Encephalitis, inflammation of the brain tissue, is most commonly caused by herpes simplex virus in the United Kingdom (UK) [4,5]. When herpes simplex virus encephalitis is treated promptly with aciclovir, there is a significant improvement in patient outcomes [6,7]. Encephalitis affects between five and eight people per 100,000 per year [8]. Sequelae after hospital discharge can include significant morbidities such as epilepsy, memory loss, and speech and behavioural disorders [9,10], which also impair patients return to work [10]. Whilst herpes simplex virus encephalitis is relatively rare [5], clinical presentations including features con-sistent with suspected encephalitis occur relatively fre-quently but in different ways to other brain injuries. Encephalitis typically presents with one or more of headache, fever, new-onset seizures, altered conscious-ness, and behavioural disturbances [11]. This variable and non-specific presentation often results in delayed diagnosis, especially in children who may only present with fever and irritability [12]. Furthermore, delays i