Murray Valley encephalitis virus

Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) is an important mosquito-borne viral disease of Australia that causes annual, sporadic cases and occasional epidemics of potentially fatal encephalitis in man. Although human cases of the disease are most commonly reported in the tropical areas of Northern Australia, ecological factors and climatic conditions occasionally result in cases appearing in more southerly areas of the country, sometimes involving large-scale outbreaks of the disease. As there are no virus-specic vaccines or treatment options currently available, this vector-borne viral disease continues to represent a major public health threat in Australia. In this chapter we discuss properties of the virus, cellular infection, clinical disease.