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West Nile Virus

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West Nile Virus is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system of vertebrates, such as humans and horses. The virus is able to quickly replicate and spread throughout the body. In humans, those that are at most risk are those who are elderly and those who are immunocompromised. In horses, those that are at most risk are unvaccinated adults or older horses. Although a vast majority of infected humans and horses present no signs of disease, if clinical signs develop, oftentimes they include flu-like symptoms, such as a fever, and neurological symptoms, such as convulsions or seizures, as the disease progressively worsens. Through research and observation it has been shown that West Nile Virus affects both humans and horses in a …show more content…

According to Emilie Donadieu and colleagues, once initial inoculation occurs, the virus replicates within the skin, specifically attacking keratinocytes, neutrophils within the dermis, & Langerhans cells of the dermal layer (Donadieu 8). In the article West Nile Virus: Biology, Transmission, and Human Infection, it is stated that in humans: “virus replication has been shown to persist in the skin for at least 14 days post-inoculation” (Colpitts 3). As the virus replicates within the skin it then will travel to nearby lymph nodes (Donadieu 8). Once the virus replicates enough where it reaches lymph nodes closest to the site of inoculation, it then travels through the lymphatic vessels, which aids in transmission into the bloodstream (Donadieu 8). Once in the bloodstream the virus travels throughout the body, specifically to the liver, kidneys, and spleen where it will continue to replicate (Donadieu 8). From personal prior knowledge: the liver metabolizes organisms from the blood as well as synthesizes proteins for blood clotting; the main function of the spleen is to filter the blood to maintain the health of the immune system; lastly, the kidneys filter blood and aid with metabolizing nutrients and removing waste from the blood. In both humans and horses, once the virus has entered the bloodstream and …show more content…

According to Tonya Colpitts and associates, through some research it has shown that the virus has the ability to infect macrophages, which help facilitate the virus across the blood brain barrier where it can then begin causing neurological symptoms (Colpitts 5). Yet, according to the article written by Emilie Donadieu and colleagues, “the mechanisms by which West Nile Virus enters the central nervous system is not fully understood” (Donadieu 9). Not enough research has been done to confirm the hypothesis that it is most likely that the virus affects the central nervous system via the blood brain barrier, which helps to protect the brain from pathogens and being exposed to immune mediation or activation (Donadieu 9-10). I it is known however, that once the virus crosses the blood brain barrier it leads to neuronal death via lesions on the brain (Donadieu 6). Neurological symptoms seem to develop more frequently in horses than in humans. According to the article written by Antoine Garwah, 1 in 150 infected people develop severe symptoms of the virus, which include but are not limited to: high fever, headache, stupor, tremors, seizures or convulsions, and paralysis (Garwah 2). Meanwhile, according to the Merck Manual article, West Nile Encephalomyelitis in Horses, approximately 10-39% of infected horses show signs and the neurological signs

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