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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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• Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE): According to the CDC, there have been confirmed cases in the United States since 1964 with a rate of about 0-21 diagnosed infections per year (average about six per year). This virus is found along the East and Gulf Coasts. The virus causes severe disease in horses, puppies, and birds such as pheasants, quails, and ostriches. In humans, flulike symptoms develop four to 10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Usually, human illnesses are preceded by those in horses. EEE can cause death in 50%-75% of all human infections; 90% of infected people have mild to severe impairments. Those who recover may suffer severe permanent brain damage such as mental retardation, seizures, paralysis, and behavior abnormalities.
• Western equine encephalitis (WEE): This virus was isolated from the brain of a horse with encephalitis in California in 1930. The worst epidemic was in Canada and the western U.S. when over 300,000 horses and mules were diagnosed along with over 3,300 humans in 1941. Since 1964, there have been at least 639 confirmed cases, but currently only a few per year are reported. However, it remains a cause of encephalitis in the western part of the United States and Canada. In 1994, there were two confirmed and several suspected cases of WEE reported in Wyoming. In 1997, 35 strains of WEE virus were isolated from mosquitoes collected in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. The WEE virus cycles between certain types of birds (small, mostly songbirds) and the Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, a species associated with irrigated agriculture and stream drainage. The virus has also been found in several other mammals. Horses and humans become sick through mosquito bites by infected mosquitoes. Infants are particularly affected and can have permanent problems such as seizure disorders and developmental delay as a result of the infection. A vaccine is not available for humans.
• Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE): This virus is found in Central and South America and is a rare cause of encephalitis in the southwestern part of the United States. It is an important cause of encephalitis in horses and humans in South America. From 1969-1971, an outbreak from South America to Texas killed over 200,000 horses. In 1995, there were an estimated 90,000 human infections with VEE in Columbia and Venezuela. The virus cycles between forest-dwelling rodents and mosquito vectors, especially the species Culex. VEE infection in humans is much less severe than that of WEE and EEE. While adults tend to develop a flulike illness, children tend to develop overt encephalitis. Deaths are rare in humans but are common in horses. There is an effective vaccine for horses but none for humans.
• Japanese encephalitis: This virus is responsible for 50,000 cases and 15,000 deaths per year. Most of China, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent are affected. The geographic distribution is expanding. Rarely, cases may appear in United States civilians and military personnel traveling to and living in Asia. Children and young adults are mostly affected. Older adults are affected when there are epidemics in new locations. The virus cycles between domestic pigs, wild birds, and the Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquitoes, which breed in rice fields. The disease is not transmitted through human contact, pigs, or birds. Only the mosquitoes can transmit the disease during feedings.
• The following is a short summary of the viruses that cause the majority of encephalitis infections, although they may also cause other diseases.

Other causes of encephalitis are as follows but will not be further discussed in this article; the reader is referred to the links provided:

• Bacteria, such as N. meningitidis, and those that cause Lyme disease, syphilis, tuberculosis, and occasionally other bacteria
• Fungi such as Candida, Mucor, Cryptococcus, and others
• Parasites such as Toxoplasma (often seen in HIV-infected patients) or the parasite Naegleria
• Allergies to vaccinations
• Autoimmune disease such as Rasmussen's encephalitis
• Cancers involving the brain tissue

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