western equine encephalomyelitis virus


west·ern e·quine en·ceph·a·lo·my·e·li·tis vi·rus

a group A arbovirus of the genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae, occurring in the western U.S. and parts of South America; it occurs naturally, usually as a symptomless infection in birds, but causes western equine encephalomyelitis in horses and humans following transfer by the bites of mosquitoes, chiefly Culex tarsalis.
See also: western equine encephalomyelitis. Synonym(s): WEE virus