Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2005 Aug;11(8):1174-9.
doi: 10.3201/eid1108.050289b.

Virology, pathology, and clinical manifestations of West Nile virus disease

Edward B Hayes  1 , James J Sejvar, Sherif R Zaki, Robert S Lanciotti, Amy V Bode, Grant L Campbell
Affiliations
Review

Virology, pathology, and clinical manifestations of West Nile virus disease

Edward B Hayes et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005 Aug.

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) causes epidemics of febrile illness, meningitis, encephalitis, and flaccid paralysis. Since it was first detected in New York City in 1999, and through 2004, >16,000 WNV disease cases have been reported in the United States. Over the past 5 years, research on WNV disease has expanded rapidly. This review highlights new information regarding the virology, clinical manifestations, and pathology of WNV disease, which will provide a new platform for further research into diagnosis, treatment, and possible prevention of WNV through vaccination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Histopathologic features of West Nile virus (WNV) in human tissues. Panels A and B show inflammation, microglial nodules, and variable necrosis that occur during WNV encephalitis; panel C shows WNV antigen (red) in neurons and neuronal processes using an immunohistochemical stain; panel D is an electron micrograph of WNV in the endoplasmic reticulum of a nerve cell (arrow). Bar = 100 nm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Beasley DW, Davis CT, Whiteman M, Granwehr B, Kinney RM, Barrett AD. Molecular determinants of virulence of West Nile virus in North America. Arch Virol Suppl. 2004;18:35–41. - PubMed
    1. Davis CT, Beasley DW, Guzman H, Siirin M, Parsons RE, Tesh RB, et al. Emergence of attenuated West Nile virus variants in Texas, 2003. Virology. 2004;330:342–50. 10.1016/j.virol.2004.09.016 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lanciotti RS, Roehrig JT, Deubel V, Smith J, Parker M, Steele K, et al. Origin of the West Nile virus responsible for an outbreak of encephalitis in the northeastern United States. Science. 1999;286:2333–7. 10.1126/science.286.5448.2333 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Langevin SA, Brault A, Panella NA, Bowen R, Komar N. Variation in West Nile virus strain virulence for house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2005;72:99–102. - PubMed
    1. Beasley DW. Genome sequence and attenuating mutations in West Nile virus isolate from Mexico. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:2221–4. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms