eMedicine Specialties > Infectious Diseases > Viral Infections

Orbivirus: Follow-up

Author: Nancy F Crum-Cianflone, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Naval Medical Center at San Diego; HIV Research Physician, Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Mar 27, 2008

Follow-up

Further Outpatient Care

  • Provide supportive care.
  • Assure normalization of test results after clinical illness has resolved.

Transfer

  • Isolation of the patient is not necessary because the disease is transferred from arthropod vectors; no cases of human-to-human transmission have been reported.

Deterrence/Prevention

  • Prevention entails avoiding tick and other arthropod vectors via insect repellants, wearing proper outdoor clothing, and, if possible, avoiding endemic areas.
  • While in endemic areas, search daily for ticks. When removing them, use a blunt forceps or tweezers to grasp the tick. Gently pull upwards with a steady, even pressure without twisting or jerking; this may cause mouth parts to be left in the wound. Avoid handling the tick with bare hands because infectious agents may enter via breaks in the skin. After removing the tick, thoroughly disinfect the bite with soap and water.

Complications

  • Complications in patients who present with meningoencephalitis may include seizures. One child presented with flaccid paralysis due to Orungo virus. Polyradiculoneuritis may be caused by orbiviral infections, and transient cytopenias occurred with Oklahoma tick fever.

Prognosis

  • Little is known regarding the prognosis of orbiviral infections because follow-up information is limited. Full recovery is expected in most, if not all, cases. Deaths secondary to orbiviral infections have not been reported.

Patient Education

  • Educate patients on how to avoid arthropod vectors, how to avoid tick exposure, how to conduct daily surveillance for ticks, and how to properly remove ticks.
  • For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Bites and Stings Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education article Ticks.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Thoroughly evaluate all patients presenting with neurologic involvement. In particular, ensure that all potentially treatable causes (eg, bacterial causes, herpes simplex) are excluded.

Special Concerns

  • Orbiviruses primarily are diseases of animals and may profoundly affect livestock populations. Animal diseases include bluetongue disease in sheep, cattle, goats, and wild ungulates; African horse sickness in horses, donkeys, and dogs; and epizootic hemorrhagic deer fever. Animal infections may result in gastrointestinal illness characterized by vomiting, abortions, fetal abnormalities, hydrocephalus, and arthrogryposis.
 


More on Orbivirus

Overview: Orbivirus
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Orbivirus
Treatment & Medication: Orbivirus
Follow-up: Orbivirus
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

Orbivirus, orbiviruses, orbiviral infection, Kemerovo virus, Lipovnik virus, Tribec virus, Orungo virus, Lebombo virus, Changuinola virus, Oklahoma tick fever virus, bluetongue disease, African horse sickness, epizootic hemorrhagic deer fever, hydrocephalus, arthrogryposis, polyradiculitis, Ixodes ticks, meningoencephalitis, Aedes mosquitoes, anopheline mosquitoes, Culex mosquitoes, Mansonia mosquitoes, Phlebotomus flies

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Nancy F Crum-Cianflone, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Naval Medical Center at San Diego; HIV Research Physician, Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Nancy F Crum-Cianflone, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians and Infectious Diseases Society of America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Thomas J Marrie, MD, Chair, Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alberta College of Medicine
Thomas J Marrie, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American Society for Microbiology, Canadian Infectious Disease Society, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Charles V Sanders, MD, Edgar Hull Professor and Chairman, Department of Internal Medicine, Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine at New Orleans; Medical Director, Medicine Hospital Center, Charity Hospital and Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans; Consulting Staff, Ochsner Medical Center
Charles V Sanders, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, Alpha Omega Alpha, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of University Professors, American Clinical and Climatological Association, American College of Physician Executives, American College of Physicians, American Federation for Medical Research, American Foundation for AIDS Research, American Geriatrics Society, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, American Society for Microbiology, American Thoracic Society, American Venereal Disease Association, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Association of American Medical Colleges, Association of American Physicians, Association of Professors of Medicine, Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Louisiana State Medical Society, Orleans Parish Medical Society, Royal Society of Medicine, Sigma Xi, Society of General Internal Medicine, Southeastern Clinical Club, Southern Medical Association, Southern Society for Clinical Investigation, and Southwestern Association of Clinical Microbiology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD, Clinical and Research Fellow, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital
Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Physicians, American Society for Microbiology, and Infectious Diseases Society of America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Burke A Cunha, MD, Professor of Medicine, State University of New York School of Medicine at Stony Brook; Chief, Infectious Disease Division, Winthrop-University Hospital
Burke A Cunha, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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