TY - JOUR AU - Sejvar, James AU - Bode, Amy AU - Marfin, Anthony AU - Campbell, Grant AU - Ewing, David AU - Mazowiecki, Michael AU - Pavot, Pierre AU - Schmitt, Joseph AU - Pape, John AU - Biggerstaff, Brad AU - Petersen, Lyle T1 - West Nile Virus–associated Flaccid Paralysis T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2005 VL - 11 IS - 7 SP - 1021 SN - 1080-6059 AB - The causes and frequency of acute paralysis and respiratory failure with West Nile virus (WNV) infection are incompletely understood. During the summer and fall of 2003, we conducted a prospective, population-based study among residents of a 3-county area in Colorado, United States, with developing WNV-associated paralysis. Thirty-two patients with developing paralysis and acute WNV infection were identified. Causes included a poliomyelitislike syndrome in 27 (84%) patients and a Guillain-Barré–like syndrome in 4 (13%); 1 had brachial plexus involvement alone. The incidence of poliomyelitislike syndrome was 3.7/100,000. Twelve patients (38%), including 1 with Guillain-Barré–like syndrome, had acute respiratory failure that required endotracheal intubation. At 4 months, 3 patients with respiratory failure died, 2 remained intubated, 25 showed various degrees of improvement, and 2 were lost to followup. A poliomyelitislike syndrome likely involving spinal anterior horn cells is the most common mechanism of WNV-associated paralysis and is associated with significant short- and long-term illness and death. KW - Keywords: poliomyelitis KW - West Nile virus KW - respiratory failure KW - United States DO - 10.3201/eid1107.040991 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/11/7/04-0991_article ER - End of Reference