Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
The cause of encephalitis is often unknown, but the most commonly diagnosed cause is a viral infection. Known causes of encephalitis may include:
- Viruses
- Bacteria
- Fungi
- Parasites
An infection may result in one of two conditions affecting the brain:
- Primary encephalitis occurs when a virus or other infectious agent directly infects the brain. The infection may be concentrated in one area or widespread. A primary infection may be a reactivation of a virus that had been inactive (latent) after a previous illness.
- Secondary (post-infectious) encephalitis is a faulty immune system reaction in response to an infection elsewhere in the body. This likely occurs when disease-fighting proteins enlisted to fight an infection mistakenly attack molecules in the brain. Secondary encephalitis often occurs two to three weeks after the initial infection. Rarely, secondary encephalitis occurs as a complication of vaccination against a viral infection.
Common viral causes
Common causes of encephalitis include:
- Herpes simplex virus. There are two types of herpes simplex virus (HSV). HSV type 1 (HSV-1) more commonly causes cold sores or fever blisters around your mouth, and HSV type 2 (HSV-2) more commonly causes genital herpes. While HSV-1 encephalitis is rare, it has the potential to cause significant brain damage or death.
- Other herpes viruses. Other herpes viruses that may cause encephalitis include the Epstein-Barr virus, which commonly causes infectious mononucleosis, and the varicella-zoster virus, which commonly causes chickenpox and shingles.
- Enteroviruses. These viruses include the poliovirus and the coxsackievirus, which usually causes an illness with flu-like symptoms, eye inflammation and abdominal pain.
- Mosquito-borne viruses. Arboviruses, or arthropod-borne viruses, are transmitted by mosquitoes or other blood-sucking insects. Mosquito-borne viruses can cause infections that include West Nile, La Crosse, St. Louis, western equine and eastern equine encephalitis. Mosquitoes transfer the virus from a nonhuman host — such as a bird, chipmunk or horse — to humans. Symptoms of an infection may appear within a few days to a couple of weeks after exposure to an arbovirus.
- Tick-borne viruses. In the United States, the only known tick-transmitted virus that causes encephalitis is Powassan virus. Symptoms usually appear about a week after exposure to the virus.
- Rabies virus. Infection with the rabies virus, which is usually transmitted by a bite from an infected animal, causes a rapid progression to encephalitis once symptoms begin. The disease causes death if the infection isn't treated before it reaches the spinal cord and brain.
- Childhood infections. Common childhood infections — such as measles (rubeola), mumps, and German measles (rubella) — used to be fairly common causes of secondary encephalitis. These causes are now rare because of the availability of vaccinations for these diseases.
References
- Encephalitis and meningitis fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/encephalitis_meningitis/detail_encephalitis_meningitis.htm. Accessed March 8, 2011.
- Encephalitis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/sec16/ch217/ch217c.html. Accessed March 10, 2011.
- Johnson RP, et al. Viral encephalitis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 10, 2011.
- Hardarson HS. Acute viral encephalitis in children and adolescents: Clinical manifestations and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 10, 2011.
- Beckham J, et al. Encephalitis. In: Mandell G, et al., eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1129246002&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00087-4&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00087-4&uniqId=237025740-4. Accessed March 10, 2011.
- Hardarson HS. Acute viral encephalitis in children and adolescents: Pathogenesis and etiology. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 10, 2011.
- Information on arboviral enchephalitides. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/arbor/arbdet.htm. Accessed March 8, 2011.
- Hardarson HS. Acute viral encephalitis in children and adolescents: Treatment and prevention. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 10, 2011.
- Insect repellant use and safety. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm. Accessed March 15, 2011.
- A parent's guide to insect repellent. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://patiented.aap.org/content.aspx?aid=5556. Accessed March 11, 2011.
- Acyclovir. National Center for Biotechnology Medicine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000533. Accessed March 22, 2011.
- Ganciclovir injection. National Center for Biotechnology Medicine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000889. Accessed March 22, 2011.
Find Mayo Clinic on