title: Infectious etiologies of myelopathy.
abstract: Myelopathy refers to a spinal cord disorder that presents with motor and/or sensory deficits. Infectious agents that cause myelopathy do so by either direct infection of neural structures (e.g., polio), a parainfectious mechanism (with a presumed autoimmune pathogenesis), or as a result of involvement of structures adjoining the spinal cord, which may cause a compressive myelopathy. This review of infectious causes of myelopathy focuses on pathogens that are most relevant to clinicians in North America.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Wahington 98104-2499, USA. hoel@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Emily L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D020806:Central Nervous System Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D020278:Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNS / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D020802:Epidural Abscess / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology