equine encephalitis
noun
variants
or less commonly equine encephalomyelitis
: any of three virus diseases chiefly of equines and humans in various parts of North and South America that are transmitted especially by mosquitoes, are characterized in humans by flu-like symptoms which often progress to encephalitis and sometimes to coma and death, and are caused by three togaviruses (species Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, and Western equine encephalitis virus of the genus Alphavirus)
a
: one that occurs in the eastern U.S. and Canada
called also eastern equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalomyelitis, triple E
b
: one that occurs in the western U.S. and Canada
called also western equine encephalitis, western equine encephalomyelitis
c
: one that occurs from northern South America to Mexico
called also Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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