immunoglobulin M antibody molecule: Definitive diagnosis of<unk> V is obtained through detection of virus-specific IgM and neutralizing antibodies. Preliminary diagnosis is often based on the patient's clinical symptoms, places and dates of travel (if patient is from a nonendemic country or area), activities, and epidemiologic history of the location where infection occurred. A recent history of mosquito bites and an acute febrile illness associated with neurologic signs and symptoms should cause clinical suspicion of<unk> V. Diagnosis of<unk> <unk>  virus infections is generally accomplished by serologic testing of blood serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is obtained via a lumbar puncture. Initial screening could be done using the ELISA technique detecting immunoglobulins in the sera of the tested individuals. Typical findings of<unk> V infection include lymphocytic pleocytosis, elevated protein level, reference glucose and lactic acid levels, and no erythrocytes. Definitive diagnosis of<unk> V is obtained through detection of virus-specific antibody IgM and neutralizing antibodies. Cases of<unk> <unk>  virus meningitis and encephalitis that have been serologically confirmed produce similar degrees of CSF pleocytosis and are often associated with substantial CSF neutrophilia. Specimens collected within eight days following onset of illness may not test positive for<unk> <unk>  IgM, and testing should be repeated. A positive test for<unk> <unk>  IgG in the absence of a positive<unk> <unk>  IgM is indicative of a previous flavivirus infection and is not by itself evidence of an acute<unk> <unk>  virus infection. If cases of suspected<unk> <unk>  virus infection, sera should be collected on both the acute and convalescent phases of the illness. Convalescent specimens should be collected 2–3 weeks after acute specimens. It is common in serologic testing for cross-reactions to occur among flaviviruses such as dengue virus (DENV) and tick-borne encephalitis virus; this necessitates caution when evaluating serologic results of flaviviral infections. Four FDA-cleared<unk> V IgM ELISA kits are commercially available from different manufacturers in the U.S., each of these kits is indicated for use on serum to aid in the presumptive laboratory diagnosis of<unk> V infection in patients with clinical symptoms of meningitis or encephalitis. Positive<unk> V test results obtained via use of these kits should be confirmed by additional testing at a state health department laboratory or CDC. In fatal cases, nucleic acid amplification, histopathology with immunohistochemistry, and virus culture of autopsy tissues can also be useful. Only a few state laboratories or other specialized laboratories, including those at CDC, are capable of doing this specialized testing. Differential diagnosis A number of various diseases may present with symptoms similar to those caused by a clinical<unk> <unk>  virus infection. Those causing neuroinvasive disease symptoms include the enterovirus infection and bacterial meningitis. Accounting for differential diagnoses is a crucial step in the definitive diagnosis of<unk> V infection. Consideration of a differential diagnosis is required when a patient presents with unexplained febrile illness, extreme headache, encephalitis or meningitis. Diagnostic and serologic laboratory testing using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and viral culture of CSF to identify the specific pathogen causing the symptoms, is the only currently available means of differentiating between causes of encephalitis and meningitis.
West Nile fever
Chikungunya
Brain fever
Zika fever
Dengue fever
Malaria
Blackwater fever
Argentine hemorrhagic fever