Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis


Ven·e·zu·e·lan e·quine en·ceph·a·lo·my·e·li·tis (VEE),

a form of mosquito-borne equine encephalomyelitis found in parts of South America, Panama, and Trinidad, caused by the Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus (a species of Alphavirus in the family Togaviridae), and characterized by less central nervous system involvement than occurs in either eastern or western equine encephalomyelitis; fever, diarrhea, and depression are common; in humans, fever and severe headache occur after an incubation period of 2-5 days, and in a few cases there has been central nervous system involvement.