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Related Experiment Videos

West Nile virus-associated flaccid paralysis.

James J Sejvar1, Amy V Bode, Anthony A Marfin

  • 1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. JSejvar@cdc.gov

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|July 19, 2005
PubMed
Summary

West Nile virus (WNV) can cause acute paralysis and respiratory failure. A poliomyelitis-like syndrome affecting spinal cord cells is the most common cause of WNV-associated paralysis.

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Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The exact causes and frequency of acute paralysis and respiratory failure linked to West Nile virus (WNV) infection remain unclear.
  • WNV is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause serious neurological illness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the causes and incidence of WNV-associated acute paralysis and respiratory failure.
  • To characterize the clinical presentation and outcomes of patients with WNV infection and paralysis.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective, population-based study was conducted in a 3-county area of Colorado during the summer and fall of 2003.
  • Thirty-two patients with WNV infection and developing paralysis were identified and assessed.

Main Results:

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  • Poliomyelitis-like syndrome was the most common cause of paralysis (84%), followed by Guillain-Barré-like syndrome (13%).
  • The incidence of poliomyelitis-like syndrome was 3.7 per 100,000 population.
  • Acute respiratory failure requiring intubation occurred in 38% of patients, with a mortality rate of 25% among those with respiratory failure at 4 months.

Conclusions:

  • Poliomyelitis-like syndrome, affecting spinal anterior horn cells, is the primary mechanism of WNV-associated paralysis.
  • WNV-associated paralysis and respiratory failure lead to significant short- and long-term morbidity and mortality.