La Crosse encephalitis
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La Crosse encephalitis | |
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Specialty | Infectious diseases |
La Crosse encephalitis is an
La Crosse encephalitis virus (LACV) is one of a group of mosquito-transmitted viruses that can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. LAC encephalitis is rare; in the United States, about 80–100 LACV disease cases are reported each year, although it is believed to be under-reported due to minimal symptoms experienced by many of those affected.[2]
Signs and symptoms
It takes 5 to 15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito to develop symptoms of LACV disease. Most people infected with the virus do not have symptoms. Symptoms may include nausea, headache, vomiting and fever in milder cases.
Severe disease occurs most commonly in children under the age of 16 and is characterized by, and
As with many infections, the very young, the very old and the
Cause
La Crosse orthobunyavirus | |
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Virus classification | |
(unranked): | Virus |
Realm: | Riboviria |
Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
Phylum: | Negarnaviricota
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Class: | Ellioviricetes |
Order: | Bunyavirales |
Family: | Peribunyaviridae |
Genus: | Orthobunyavirus |
Species: | La Crosse orthobunyavirus
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The La Crosse encephalitis virus is a type of arbovirus called a
Most cases of LAC encephalitis occur in children under 16 years of age. LAC virus is a zoonotic pathogen cycled between the daytime-biting treehole mosquito, Aedes triseriatus, and vertebrate amplifier hosts (chipmunks, tree squirrels) in deciduous forest habitats. The virus is maintained over the winter by transovarial transmission in mosquito eggs. If the female mosquito is infected, she may lay eggs that carry the virus, and the adults coming from those eggs may be able to transmit the virus to chipmunks and to humans.[citation needed]
Anyone bitten by a mosquito in an area where the virus is circulating can get infected with LACV. The risk is highest for people who live, work or recreate in woodland habitats, because of greater exposure to potentially infected mosquitoes.[citation needed]
Diagnosis
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Prevention
People reduce the chance of getting infected with LACV by preventing mosquito bites. There is no vaccine or preventive drug.
Prevention measures against LACV include reducing exposure to mosquito bites. Use repellent such as
Treatment
No specific therapy is available at present for La Crosse encephalitis, and management is limited to alleviating the symptoms and balancing
In a trial with 15 children being infected with La Crosse viral encephalitis were treated at certain phases with ribavirin (RBV). RBV appeared to be safe at moderate doses. At escalated doses of RBV, adverse events occurred and then the trial was discontinued. Nonetheless, this was the largest study of antiviral treatment for La Crosse encephalitis.[5]
Epidemiology
La Crosse encephalitis was discovered in 1965, after the virus was isolated from stored brain and spinal tissue of a child who died of an unknown infection in
Historically, most cases of LAC encephalitis occur in the upper Midwestern states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio)[citation needed]. Recently, more cases are being reported from states in the mid-Atlantic (West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina) and southeastern (Alabama and Mississippi) regions of the country. It has long been suspected that LAC encephalitis has a broader distribution and a higher incidence in the eastern United States, but is under-reported because the causal agent is often not specifically identified.[citation needed]
LAC encephalitis cases occur primarily from late spring through early fall, but in subtropical areas where the mosquito is found (e.g., the Gulf states), rare cases can occur in winter.
According to the CDC, between 2004 and 2013 there were 787 total cases of La Crosse encephalitis and 11 deaths in the U.S.[7]
Looking at the distribution of cases across the United States by state, between 2004 and 2013 the most cases of La Crosse encephalitis was in North Carolina. North Carolina had 184 total cases, followed by Ohio with 178 total cases.[8]
Related conditions
Similar diseases that are spread by mosquitoes include:
.References
- PMID 11248155.
- ^ "Epidemiology & Geographic Distribution | la Crosse encephalitis | CDC". 2018-09-14.
- PMID 19145220.
- ^ "Prevention". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- S2CID 37884333.
- PMID 14261030.
- ^ "La Crosse virus disease cases and deaths reported to CDC by year and clinical presentation, 2004-2013" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ "La Crosse virus disease cases reported to CDC by state, 2004–2013" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
External links
- "La Crosse Encephalitis". CDC. 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
- Directors of Health Promotion and Education Facts Sheet La Crosse Encephalitis
- Encephalitis Global Inc. Offering information and support to encephalitis survivors, caregivers and loved ones.