Abstract
This paper reports on an epidemiological study of 304 cases of virus meningo-encephalitis hospitalized at the Neurological Clinic at Graz during the 1953 epidemic in Styria, Austria. The epidemic showed a distinct seasonal periodicity, with an increase in the number of new cases during the period June-September; the monthly percentage of paralytic and encephalitic cases was, however, lowest in July and August. While no epidemic centre could be distinguished, 78% of all patients came from rural, usually wooded, areas. The maximum morbidity occurred between the ages of 11 and 30 years. The severity of the disease increased with age, save for the group 1-10 years old.
A history of insect bites was noted in a large proportion of patients, one-third reporting tick bites, and many others, mosquito bites. The author finds both the period of incubation of the illness and the chain of infection to be very variable; there appeared to be cases caused by family contact, possibly through droplet- or dust-borne infection, and a possibility of infection through foodstuffs.
But for fatigue, concomitant illness or injury, and other precipitating factors, some cases might have been abortive; such factors also appear to determine the severity of the illness.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- BADER R. E., HENGEL R. Uber die Epidemiologie der Enzephalitiswelle in der Pfalz 1947/49. Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 1950 Dec 15;75(50):1683–1685. doi: 10.1055/s-0028-1117753. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- DREXLER K. Beiträge zum Problem der sogenannten Meningitis seross. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 1952 Feb 1;64(5):83–88. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HLOUCAL L. Zeckenencephalitis in Böhmen und Mähren. Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1953 Jan 24;83(4):78–81. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HOLZER W., STEINBACKER A. Eine Epidemie von Meningitis und Meningoenzephalitis. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1950 Apr 8;100(13/14):233–236. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- JERVIS G. A., HIGGINS G. H. Russian spring-summer encephalitis; clinicopathologic report of a case in the human. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1953 Jan;12(1):1–10. doi: 10.1097/00005072-195301000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- KREJCI J. Isolement d'un virus nouveau au cours d'une épidémie de méningo-encéphalite dans la région de Vyskov, Moravie. Presse Med. 1949 Nov 26;57(74):1084–1084. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LASCH F., MORITZ E. Ueber gehäuftes Auftreten von infektiöser aseptischer Meningitis; Virusinfekte? Leptospirosen? Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1949 Dec 24;79(51):1237–1241. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MOLNAR E., FORNOSI F. Laborotoriumi fertozés a kullancs-encephalitis csehszlováki ai törzxével. Orv Hetil. 1952 Sep 7;93(36):1032–1033. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rivers T. M., Schwentker F. F. LOUPING ILL IN MAN. J Exp Med. 1934 Apr 30;59(5):669–685. doi: 10.1084/jem.59.5.669. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- WEICKER B. Ueber gehäuftes Auftreten nichteitriger Encephalomyelitis. Dtsch Arch Klin Med. 1949;196(5):502–529. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]