equine encephalitis

noun

variants or less commonly equine encephalomyelitis

: any of three virus diseases chiefly of equines and humans in various parts of North and South America that are transmitted especially by mosquitoes, are characterized in humans by flu-like symptoms which often progress to encephalitis and sometimes to coma and death, and are caused by three togaviruses (species Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, and Western equine encephalitis virus of the genus Alphavirus)

a

: one that occurs in the eastern U.S. and Canada

called also eastern equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalomyelitis, triple E

b

: one that occurs in the western U.S. and Canada

called also western equine encephalitis, western equine encephalomyelitis

c

: one that occurs from northern South America to Mexico

called also Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis

Examples of equine encephalitis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Michigan’s first case this year of Eastern equine encephalitis was detected in a horse in Van Buren County, the state announced. —Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 9 Aug. 2024

Information about Eastern equine encephalitis virus can be found here. —John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Aug. 2023

Alabama 7-year-old dies from equine encephalitis infection Aug. 25, 202302:35 Aside from the malaria cases, one-off reports of these rare diseases are thus far not surprising compared to past years, according to four experts interviewed. —Maia Pandey, NBC News, 25 Aug. 2023

Curiously, the researchers did test the chemical’s impact on hamsters infected with Eastern equine encephalitis virus, a pathogen that attacks the central nervous system of horses and people. —Douglas Main, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2011

Word History

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

equine encephalitis

noun

: any of three virus diseases chiefly of equines and humans in various parts of North and South America that are transmitted especially by mosquitoes, are characterized in humans by flu-like symptoms which often progress to encephalitis and sometimes to coma and death, and are caused by three togaviruses of the genus Alphavirus (species Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Western equine encephalitis virus, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus):

a

: one that occurs in the eastern U.S. and Canada

called also eastern equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalomyelitis

b

: one that occurs in the western U.S. and Canada

called also western equine encephalitis, western equine encephalomyelitis

c

: one that occurs from northern South America to Mexico

called also Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis