Virus
Japanese encephalitis virus
Culex flavivirus, pigs and birds, Asia
jap-uh-NEEZ en-sef-uh-LY-tis VY-rus
High-yield clue
Culex-transmitted flavivirus with pigs as amplifying host; the classic clue is epidemic viral encephalitis across Asia.
Overview
A positive-sense single-stranded RNA flavivirus transmitted by Culex mosquitoes in an enzootic cycle involving pigs and wading birds, studied as a leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia.
Classification
- Flaviviridae
- Genus Orthoflavivirus
- Positive-sense ssRNA
- Enveloped
- Arbovirus
Lab & identification clues
- CSF antibody detection vocabulary
- Encephalitis study framing
- Vaccine-preventable arbovirus concept
Associations
- Culex mosquito vector
- Pigs as amplifying host and wading birds as reservoir
- Epidemic encephalitis vocabulary
- Rural rice-paddy Asia epidemiology
Commonly confused with
- West Nile virus
- Rabies virus
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.