Viral encephalitis is inflammation of the brain parenchyma, called encephalitis, by a virus. The different forms of viral encephalitis are called viral encephalitides. It is the most common type of encephalitis and often occurs with viral meningitis. Encephalitic viruses first cause infection and replicate outside of the central nervous system (CNS), most reaching the CNS through the circulatory system and a minority from nerve endings toward the CNS. Once in the brain, the virus and the host's inflammatory response disrupt neural function, leading to illness and complications, many of which frequently are neurological in nature, such as impaired motor skills and altered behavior.
Viral encephalitis can be diagnosed based on the individual's symptoms, personal history, such as travel history, and different clinical tests such as histology, medical imaging, and lumbar punctures. A differential diagnosis can also be done to rule out other causes of the encephalitis. Many encephalitic viruses often have characteristic symptoms of infection, helping to aid diagnosis. Treatment is usually supportive in nature while also providing antiviral drug therapy. The primary exception to this is herpes simplex encephalitis, which is treatable with acyclovir. Prognosis is good for most individuals who are infected by an encephalitic virus but is poor among those who develop severe symptoms, including viral encephalitis. Long-term complications of viral encephalitis typically relate to neurological damage, such as experiencing seizures, memory loss, and intellectual impairment.
Encephalitic viruses are typically transmitted either from person-to-person or are arthropod-borne viruses, called arboviruses. The young and the elderly are at the highest risk of viral encephalitis. Many cases of viral encephalitis are not identified either because of lack of testing or mild illness, and serological surveys indicate that asymptomatic infections are common. Various ways of preventing viral encephalitis exist, such as vaccines that are either in standard vaccination programs or which are recommended when living in or visiting certain regions, and various measures aimed at preventing mosquito, sandfly, and tick bites in order to prevent arbovirus infection.
and 26 Related for: Viral encephalitis information
Viralencephalitis is inflammation of the brain parenchyma, called encephalitis, by a virus. The different forms of viralencephalitis are called viral...
30%-40% of encephalitis cases, the etiology remains unknown. Viral infections are the usual cause of infectious encephalitis. Viralencephalitis can occur...
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an infection of the brain caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). While most infections result in little or no symptoms...
A viral infection may also result in encephalitis triggered by an autoimmune response. The most ubiquitous form, anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, is...
Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE), or simply herpes encephalitis, is encephalitis due to herpes simplex virus. It is estimated to affect at least 1 in...
Massachusetts, United States, in 1831, when 75 horses died mysteriously of viralencephalitis. Epizootics in horses have continued to occur regularly in the United...
Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") due to...
Saint Louis encephalitis is a disease caused by the mosquito-borne Saint Louis encephalitis virus. Saint Louis encephalitis virus is related to Japanese...
Encephalitis lethargica is an atypical form of encephalitis. Also known as "sleeping sickness" or "sleepy sickness" (distinct from tsetse fly–transmitted...
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus is a mosquito-borne viral pathogen that causes Venezuelan equine encephalitis or encephalomyelitis (VEE). VEE can...
ancestral Sindbis virus-like virus, and an ancestral Eastern equine encephalitis virus-like virus. There have been under 700 confirmed cases in the U...
choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) Measles Mumps St. Louis encephalitis virus West Nile virus Viral Meningitis is mostly caused by an infectious agent that...
Rocio viralencephalitis is an epidemic flaviviral disease of humans first observed in São Paulo State, Brazil, in 1975. Low-level enzootic transmission...
Autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) is a type of encephalitis, and one of the most common causes of noninfectious encephalitis. It can be triggered by tumors...
California encephalitis orthobunyavirus type strain California encephalitis virus was discovered in Kern County, California, and causes encephalitis in humans...
Anlar B (2013). "Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and chronic viralencephalitis". Pediatric Neurology Part II. Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Vol...
La Crosse encephalitis is an encephalitis caused by an arbovirus (the La Crosse virus) which has a mosquito vector (Ochlerotatus triseriatus synonym Aedes...
Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) is a zoonotic flavivirus endemic to northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. It is the causal agent of Murray Valley...
would be how viral meningitis is passed on Vector transmission- picked up by a carrier and brought to a new host An example is viralencephalitis Waterborne...
are zoonotically infected with B virus, they can present with a severe encephalitis, resulting in permanent neurological dysfunction or death. Severity of...
Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a diverse group of animal and human illnesses. VHFs may be caused by five distinct families of RNA viruses: the families...
encephalitis is a family of horse diseases that also affect humans. Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain. Several forms of viralencephalitis...
virus encephalitis (WNE) is the most common neuroinvasive manifestation of WNND. WNE presents with similar symptoms to other viralencephalitis with fever...
Japanese encephalitis Kyasanur Forest disease Murray Valley encephalitis St. Louis encephalitis Tick-borne encephalitis West Nile encephalitis Yellow fever...
Global Information
