Reports of extrapulmonary distribution of highly pathogenic influenza viruses (HPIV) in humans are limited to a few recent reports of detection of viral antigen in or isolation of H5N1 virus from brain, CSF, intestine and fecal material from individuals who died with influenza virus-induced coma and diarrhea [1, [4] [5] [6] . Infection with influenza viruses is generally restricted to the respiratory tract in humans, although encephalopathy has been reported for seasonal influenza, particularly in children [7] .