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Variations in Biological Features of West Nile Viruses
Author(s) -
DEUBEL V.,
FIETTE L.,
GOU P.,
DROUET M. T.,
KHUN H.,
HUERRE M.,
BANET C.,
MALKINSON M.,
DESPRÈS P.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb02697.x
Subject(s) - encephalitis , virulence , outbreak , biology , virology , west nile virus , virus , central nervous system , pathological , immunology , pathology , medicine , neuroscience , gene , genetics
A bstract : Pathological findings in humans, horses, and birds with West Nile (WN) encephalitis show neuronal degeneration and necrosis in the central nervous system (CNS), with diffuse inflammation. The mechanisms of WN viral penetration of the CNS and pathophysiology of the encephalitis remain largely unknown. Since 1996, several epizootics involving hundreds of humans, horses, and thousands of wild and domestic bird cases of encephalitis and mortality have been reported in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Russia, and the USA (see specific chapters in this issue). However, biological and molecular markers of virus virulence should be characterized to assess whether novel strains with increased virulence are responsible for this recent proliferation of outbreaks.