Encephalitis Virus (Duh Duh DUHHHHH!) by Marie Quigao

Encephalitis What is it? Should I Hide my Children?

quigaoam — 2015-11-16 18:10:25 UTC

"Encephalitis (en-sef-uh-LIE-tis) is inflammation of the brain. Viral infections are the most common cause of the condition." - The Encephalitis Society

Other Names: West Nile Virus

Bibliography

quigaoam — 2015-11-16 18:19:20 UTC

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/encephalitis/basics/definition/con-20021917

http://www.encephalitis.info/

https://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/viral-encephalitis

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/EMD-5210.jpg

Simon, H. (n.d.). Viral encephalitis. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from https://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/viral-encephalitis

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21523/

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs386/en/

Early Signs and Symptoms! No I Swear I'm Innocent!

quigaoam — 2015-11-16 18:28:26 UTC

Early signs and symptoms from medical reports say symptoms may occur as early as 2 days to about 2 week. Though depending on the amount of exposure to the virus, milder symptoms can be flu-like with headaches and a slight fever. Other reports say state that some people do not experience symptoms of any kind. Not all cases are the same and Encephalitis can be vary from mild to life threatening, making early diagnosis is a a crucial step.

Symptoms:

Fever
Headache
Vomiting
Lethargy and reduced consciousness
Seizures
Memory loss
Stiff neck and back
Confusion
Speech, hearing, and vision problems
Muscle weakness
Partial paralysis
Loss of consciousness
Coma

Treatments! Salvation is Here! No More Needles!!

quigaoam — 2015-11-16 18:47:30 UTC

Treatments vary depending the the severity of the diagnosis. It is important to know once diagnosed patients must receive immediate medical treatment for the right symptoms. Viral encephalitis of are not treatable with the exception of herpes simplex and varicella-zoster encephalitis. Decreasing fever, and reducing the swelling of the brain is most important when treating Encephalitis. Serious cases of encephalitis may cause systematic complications and need may require hospitalization of the patient. Note: There is no actual cure depending on the severity and response to certain treatments.

Anti Viral Drugs/Treatment:

Cases of encephalitis due to certain viruses usually require intravenous antiviral treatments. Antiviral drugs commonly used to treat encephalitis include:

Acyclovir (Zovirax)
Ganciclovir (Cytovene)
Foscarnet (Foscavir)

Treatment for mild cases, which may be mistaken as the flu, mainly consists of:

Bed rest
Plenty of fluids
Anti-inflammatory drugs— such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) — to relieve headaches and fever.

Main Diseases Caused by Encephalitis! OH NO!"NOT THE BEES!"

quigaoam — 2015-11-16 18:53:55 UTC

Herpes Virus:

"Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is responsible for 5 – 10% of encephalitis cases worldwide. Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) tends to be most severe when it affects children and older people. There are two distinct types of the herpes simplex virus":

"Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) causes most cases of adult herpes encephalitis. HSV-1 is the main cause of oral herpes infections but it can also cause genital herpes."
"Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) causes most cases of encephalitis in newborn infants. HSV-2 is the main cause of genital herpes."

Arboviruses:

"Arboviruses, including the West Nile virus, are transmitted by blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes and ticks. Most of the time, these viral infections initially develop in birds, which function as the reservoir of infection. Insects that feed on the infected blood from a diseased bird pick up the virus, and transmit it when they bite a susceptible host (such as an animal or a human). The insects that play a role in this disease-transmission process are referred to as vectors."

"Arboviruses multiply in blood-sucking vectors. In fact, the word arbovirus is an acronym forarthropod-borne virus. Mosquitoes, ticks, and many other insects are classified as arthropods. Mosquitoes are the most common vector for arboviruses
- (https://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/viral-encephalitis)

Encephalitis Particle

quigaoam — 2015-11-16 19:07:46 UTC

Here is an image of the Encephalitis particle. The blue highlights the Capsid, and the green highlights the RNA or DNA that is inside.

Discovery of Encephalitis (A discovery that would change the world...)

2015-11-18 18:25:02 UTC

Encephalitis was discovered in Uganda in 1937. At that time, the virus was only restricted to Africa, Middle East, South Western Asia, Eastern Europe, and Australia. As of today, all the states in America except for Hawaii and Alaska are affected by the virus. The virus life cycle is classified as a lysogenic cycle."

jnguyen33 — 2015-11-18 18:57:36 UTC

As you can see in the photo below, the effects of Encephalitis in the brain are quite prominent. The brain appears to be very swollen after the virus has infected it.

Host Organisms (Keep that bug spray close!)

jnguyen33 — 2015-11-18 19:04:34 UTC

Encephalitis primarily affects birds and mosquitoes. Other organisms that can get infected are horses and humans. Below is an image of one of the organisms that contract and spread Encephalitis

Life Cycle of the Virus (Around and around it goes where does it stop? Nobody knows...well maybe white blood cells.)

quigaoam — 2015-11-21 19:22:38 UTC

The Lysogenic Cyle

Encephalitis

quigaoam — 2015-11-23 21:16:50 UTC

Further information about the virus.

Facts! The more you know :)

quigaoam — 2015-11-24 01:59:59 UTC

There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is focused on relieving severe clinical signs and supporting the patient to overcome the infection.
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a flavivirus related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses, and is spread by mosquitoes.
JE is the main cause of viral encephalitis in many countries of Asia with nearly 68 000 clinical cases every year.
The people most at risk are those who live in or visit woodland areas or those who spent a large amount of time outdoors. People under the age of 15 and over 50 appear to be at greatest risk for the most severe symptoms.
Approximately one-third of people with encephalitis caused by EEEV will die from the disease; making it one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the United States. Of those who recover, many will suffer lasting effects.