Abstract
Biological agents that cause viral encephalitis (inflammation of the brain and its meninges) are arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) that normally infect an arthropod vector or an intermediate host to disseminate infection. However, these viruses are also capable of transmission through man-made aerosols, as occurs in laboratory-associated infection or potentially during suspected a biological warfare attack (1). Both mosquitoborne and aerosol routes of transmission may result in epidemic numbers of casualties or disability from viral encephalitis. In the past, biological warfare programs of the United States and the former Soviet Union pursued development and aerosol weaponization of viral encephalitis agents (2). The following discussion will focus on viral biological warfare agents of encephalitis, their clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Keywords
- West Nile Virus
- Viral Encephalitis
- Biological Warfare
- Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus
- Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
The views expressed in this chapter are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
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Kanesa-thasan, N. (2004). Viral Encephalitides. In: Roy, M.J. (eds) Physician’s Guide to Terrorist Attack. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-663-8_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-663-8_17
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