Environmental Risk Factors of California Encephalitis in Man

Researchers have identified such environmental factors as poor drainage and mixed mesophytic forest habitats as risk elements in the diffusion of arthropod-borne encephalitis. An examination of these and other environmental risk factors contributing to endemic California encephalitis in Ohio also suggests the complex effects of Pleistocene glaciation on drainage patterns and hence mosquito proliferation. Cycles of California encephalitis in endemic parts of Ohio are correlated with fluctuations of rainfall. The diffusion of California encephalitis is also shown to be logistic in four different locations. The study findings suggest that a more detailed analysis of California encephalitis in the Great Lakes region is in order.