Long‐term outcomes of Murray Valley encephalitis cases in Western Australia: what have we learnt?

Abstract

This is the first study of long-term outcomes of Murray Valley encephalitis that included cases with no obvious sequelae at discharge. In spite of the small numbers involved, the study demonstrated the significant medical and social burden due to MVEV in Australia.

Broad-spectrum agents for flaviviral infections: dengue, Zika and beyond

“…The tissue tropism of flaviviruses determines the pathology of severe cases and human-to-human viral transmission patterns. Neurotropic flaviviruses (including West Nile virus (WNV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), JEV, MVEV and ZIKV) cause numerous neurological pathologies, from myelitis and encephalitis to seizures, permanent brain damage and paralysis, as occurs in MVEV infection 19 . Some neurological pathologies, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, are caused by the host immune response to the viral pervasion, and may occur in infections by neurotropic viruses, such as ZIKV 20,21 , or in severe cases of non-neurotropic viral infections, such as DENV and YFV 22,23 .…”

Extended detection and isolation of Murray Valley encephalitis virus in whole blood and urine

“…CSF typically shows elevated protein and leucocytosis, with a predominance of mononuclear cells . The case we present here was unusual in that the MRI findings were subtle and the neurological outcome was excellent, although longer term mild sequelae are sometimes identified …”

Neurocognitive impacts of arbovirus infections

“…More than 6 months post-infection, the patient still scored low on a mental state examination (11/30) [106]. Evenly worrisome, a follow-up study concerning Murray Valley encephalitis virus showed that even in patients discharged without evident sequelae, long-term cognitive disturbance such as depression and cognitive dysfunction were reported [107]. Alphaviruses have also been associated with neuronal impairment with long-term effects.…”