West Nile Virus Neuroinvasive Disease Accelerating Probable Dementia With Lewy Bodies

Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2021 Jul-Sep;35(3):269-270. doi: 10.1097/WAD.0000000000000405.

Abstract

We describe a case of dementia with Lewy bodies immediately following encephalitis due to West Nile virus (WNV). The patient had rapid eye movement-sleep behavior disorder and constipation before the onset of encephalitis, which suggests that he would have ultimately developed dementia with Lewy bodies even without WNV infection. Our case illustrates the interactions between α-synuclein and WNV, as observed in mouse models, wherein synuclein expression augments after WNV infection and protects neurons against the virus.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Clonazepam / therapeutic use*
  • Cognitive Dysfunction*
  • Confusion / etiology
  • Encephalitis / complications*
  • Fever / etiology
  • GABA Modulators / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Lewy Body Disease* / diagnosis
  • Lewy Body Disease* / drug therapy
  • Male
  • Republic of North Macedonia
  • West Nile Fever / complications*
  • West Nile virus / isolation & purification

Substances

  • GABA Modulators
  • Clonazepam