aetiology

Last reviewed 01/2018

The most usual cause of encephalitis in the UK is herpes simplex virus. HIV infection is of increasing importance.

Other causes of encephalitis include:

  • measles
  • mumps
  • poliomyelitis
  • varicella
  • subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
  • progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy
  • California bunyavirus
  • Coxsackie virus
  • cytomegalovirus
  • Echo virus
  • herpes zoster
  • Behcet's syndrome