Encephalitis due to herpes simplex virus (Q38266)

Herpetic encephalitis is a cerebral infection caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1). It presents as acute necrosing temporal encephalitis. Onset is rapid (less than 48 hours) with a fever of 40 °C, headaches, and behavioural, language and memory problems. These initial manifestations are followed by numbness and coma, which may be accompanied by convulsions and paralysis. This disease, which affects only a small minority of HSV1-infected individuals, results from a primary immune deficiency.