See H.-J. Wintzer, Equine Diseases (1986).
Licensed from Columbia University Press
Among the several forms of viral brain inflammation are rabies, polio, and two types transmitted by the mosquito: equine encephalitis in its various forms and St. Louis encephalitis. The latter two have appeared in epidemic form in the United States and are characterized by high fever, prolonged coma (which is responsible for the disease being known as a "sleeping sickness"; see also trypanosomiasis), and convulsions sometimes followed by death. Encephalitis that results as a complication of another systemic infection is known as parainfectious encephalitis and can follow such diseases as measles (rubeola), influenza, and scarlet fever. The AIDS virus also infects the brain and produces dementia in a predictably progressive pattern. Although no specific treatment can destroy the virus once the disease has become established, many types of encephalitis can be prevented by immunization.
Licensed from Columbia University Press
Inflammation of the brain, most often due to infection, usually with a virus. One class of encephalitis (including multiple sclerosis) attacks the myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibres rather than the neurons themselves. In most cases, symptoms include fever, headache, lethargy, and coma. Convulsions are most common in infants. Characteristic neurological signs include uncoordinated, involuntary movements and localized weakness. The symptoms and a lumbar puncture (to obtain cerebrospinal fluid for analysis) may establish the presence but not the cause. Treatment usually aims to relieve the symptoms and ensure quiet rest. Various symptoms may remain after recovery.
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