Eastern equine encephalitis is found primarily in horses, but it can also attack humans. This disease causes an inflammation of the brain. This disease is seen in the eastern United States. (Encephalitis can be caused by viruses in at least two families.)

The Alphavirus genus is involved in several different encephalitis diseases. These viruses have a rather complex life cycle. These diseases start from an infected mosquito biting a bird and infecting the bird. Then another mosquito bites the bird and then can rebite a mammal such as a hoofed animal or a human. The resulting disease turns up more frequently in horses than in humans.

The Togaviridae family contains viruses in the genera Alphavirus, Rubivirus, and other genera. Diseases caused by members of this family include several forms of encephalitis and rubella. These viruses have life cycles that are frequently connected to both arthropods and vetebrates.

Typical viruses include tiny organisms that contain both a nucleic acid and some proteins. Many of these cause serious illness in humans. Included herein is AIDS, yellow fever, Mumps, Measles, and Hepatitus. Estimates indicate that over 30,000 species are under study with only about 3,000 recognized.

e have lumped all the virus like lifeforms herein, as science is still working on the taxonomy tree in this area.

Viruses are the most primitive of lifeforms. These organisms are usually too small to be seen by typical microscopes. Viruses are composed of a acid nucleus and some proteins. These organisms need to invade a living cell of a host in order to grow and reproduce. Several well known diseases are caused by viruses including Hepatitis, HIV, Mumps, Influenze, Rabies, and Yellow Fever.

There are several even more primitive virus like creatures that include viroids and prions. (Viroids can cause some plant health issues, and Prions can cause the mad cow disease.)

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