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
Book

Viral Encephalitis

Saema Said  1 , Michael Kang  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Viral Encephalitis

Saema Said et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Viral encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain parenchyma caused by a virus. It is the most common type of encephalitis and often coexists with viral meningitis. Viruses invade the host outside the central nervous system (CNS) and then reach the spinal cord and brain hematogenously or in a retrograde manner from nerve endings.

Viral encephalitis tends to be more common in younger people compared to elderly individuals. However, the environment also plays a critical role. Many cases of viral encephalitis go undetected because of the lack of tests and mild symptoms. In addition, studies show that many patients develop high levels of antibodies to viruses but show no symptoms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Saema Said declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Michael Kang declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Im JH, Baek J, Durey A, Kwon HY, Chung MH, Lee JS. Current Status of Tick-Borne Diseases in South Korea. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2019 Apr;19(4):225-233. - PubMed
    1. Kadambari S, Harvala H, Simmonds P, Pollard AJ, Sadarangani M. Strategies to improve detection and management of human parechovirus infection in young infants. Lancet Infect Dis. 2019 Feb;19(2):e51-e58. - PubMed
    1. Blom K, Cuapio A, Sandberg JT, Varnaite R, Michaëlsson J, Björkström NK, Sandberg JK, Klingström J, Lindquist L, Gredmark Russ S, Ljunggren HG. Cell-Mediated Immune Responses and Immunopathogenesis of Human Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus-Infection. Front Immunol. 2018;9:2174. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kumar B, Manuja A, Gulati BR, Virmani N, Tripathi BN. Zoonotic Viral Diseases of Equines and Their Impact on Human and Animal Health. Open Virol J. 2018;12:80-98. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Silva ASG, Matos ACD, da Cunha MACR, Rehfeld IS, Galinari GCF, Marcelino SAC, Saraiva LHG, Martins NRDS, Maranhão RPA, Lobato ZIP, Pierezan F, Guedes MIMC, Costa EA. West Nile virus associated with equid encephalitis in Brazil, 2018. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2019 Jan;66(1):445-453. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources