California-La Crosse encephalitis.
La Crosse encephalitis, a mosquito-borne viral disease that can be mistaken for herpes simplex encephalitis, is under-recognized in the United States, despite case reports from 28 states and an incidence in endemic areas (20-30/100,000) exceeding that of bacterial meningitis. The disease recurs every summer in endemic foci in the midwestern and mid-Atlantic United States in areas forested with hardwood trees, which provide breeding sites for the treehole-dwelling mosquito vector, Aedes triseriatus. La Crosse encephalitis should be considered in the child presenting with meningoencephalitis in summer and early fall, particularly for children living in (or recent travel to) endemic areas in mid-Atlantic and midwestern states.
McJunkin
J E
JE
Department of Pediatrics, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University/Charleston Division, USA.
Khan
R R
RR
Tsai
T F
TF
D000330:Aedes / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D004670:Encephalitis, California / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D018062:La Crosse virus
D000998:Antiviral Agents