St. Louis encephalitis

Viral encephalitis transmitted by mosquito or chicken mite. Clinical manifestations: 1) incubation 4-21 days 2) sudden onset high fever 3) severe headache 4) stiff neck 5) lethargy 6) confusion 7) dysarthria 8) nausea/vomiting 9) tremor a) tongue b) lips c) hands 10) ataxia 11) spastic paralysis 12) accentuated deep tendon reflexes (DTR) 13) absence of abdominal reflexes Laboratory: 1) complete blood count (CBC) a) mild leukocytosis b) relative lymphocytosis 2) demonstration of virus by animal innoculation 3) serology a) complement-fixation b) neutralizing antibodies 4) cerebrospinal fluid a) increased pressure b) increased globulins c) lymphocytosis

References

DeGowin & DeGowin's Diagnostic Examination, 6th edition, RL DeGowin (ed), McGraw Hill, NY 1994, pg 881