ST. LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS

Course overview

SAINT LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS IS TRANSMITTED TO HUMANS FROM THE BITE OF AN INFECTED CULEX SPECIES MOSQUITO. IT IS A FLAVIVIRUS, A SINGLE-STRANDED RNA VIRUS, WHICH IS CLOSELY RELATED TO THE JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS, POWASSAN AND WEST NILE VIRUS. MOST CASES OCCUR IN THE EASTERN AND CENTRAL UNITED STATES DURING THE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL. MOST CASES ARE ASYMPTOMATIC OR PRESENT WITH FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS FATIGUE, HEADACHES, NAUSEA, VOMITING AND BODY ACHES. MOST PATIENTS WILL SPONTANEOUSLY RECOVER WITHOUT PROGRESSION TO ENCEPHALITIS. SEVERE, INVASIVE DISEASE RESULTING IN ENCEPHALITIS IS UNUSUAL AND IS MORE COMMON IN OLDER ADULTS. ENCEPHALITIS OR INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN AND MENINGES PRESENTS AS DIZZINESS, AGITATION, CONFUSION, TREMORS, OR COMA FOLLOWING THE FLU-LIKE PRODROME. FOR PATIENTS WITH ENCEPHALITIS, THE OVERALL CASE FATALITY RATE IS 5% TO 15%. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE CAUSE, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND PRESENTATION OF ST LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN ITS MANAGEMENT.