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In very rare circumstances, encephalitis may be caused by bacterial or fungal organisms.
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a condition that can develop in patients recovering from a viral infection. (Less commonly, it is associated with childhood vaccinations for measles, mumps, and rubella.) Although it is not caused directly by a viral infection, ADEM has symptoms similar to viral encephalitis, such as fever, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, ADEM can cause seizures and coma.
The inflammation associated with ADEM occurs predominantly in the white matter of the brain rather than the gray matter (the usual target of infectious encephalitis). The nerve cells do not die as they do in a viral infection. Rather, the nerve cell coating (called a myelin sheath) is partially destroyed in much the same way as it is in multiple sclerosis. Indeed, the two conditions may at first be difficult to distinguish and they can share common symptoms of myelin damage. These symptoms include vision problems and muscle paralysis.
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Review Date: 01/26/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M.,
Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
