Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jul 25, 2026 1 hour, 12 minutes ago
Medical News: A rare mosquito-borne virus that can trigger life-threatening brain inflammation may have a potential new treatment option after doctors in Italy reported a dramatic recovery in an elderly patient following a short course of corticosteroids. The findings are raising fresh interest in whether controlling the body's excessive immune response could help patients suffering from severe Usutu virus encephalitis.
Two doses of dexamethasone were linked to rapid neurological recovery in a patient with severe Usutu virus encephalitis.
The research was conducted by scientists from the Infectious Diseases Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and the Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
A Rare Virus That Is Becoming More Common
Usutu virus is closely related to West Nile virus and is mainly spread by mosquitoes that feed on infected birds. Humans are considered accidental hosts and most infected people never develop symptoms. However, in rare cases, the virus invades the brain and nervous system, causing meningitis or encephalitis that can rapidly become life-threatening.
The virus has steadily expanded across Europe over the last two decades, with Italy reporting more than half of all locally acquired human Usutu virus infections documented in the European Union between 2012 and 2021. Researchers also warned that many infections may go undiagnosed because standard laboratory tests can confuse Usutu virus with West Nile virus.
Patient's Condition Worsened Rapidly
The report describes an 84-year-old man admitted to hospital in August 2024 after experiencing fever and chills for a week. Although initially alert, within just 24 hours he developed confusion, drowsiness, speech problems, tremors, facial muscle abnormalities and neck stiffness, all classic warning signs of brain inflammation.
Spinal fluid testing confirmed severe inflammation, while specialized molecular testing detected Usutu virus genetic material in both blood and urine. Tests for West Nile virus and Toscana virus were negative, confirming Usutu virus as the cause.
Steroid Treatment Produced Remarkably Fast Recovery
Because of the patient's rapidly worsening neurological condition, doctors administered intravenous dexamethasone alongside initial antimicrobial therapy before laboratory confirmation was available.
This
Medical News report highlights that the patient's improvement was striking. After the first steroid dose, his consciousness began returning. Following a second, lower dose the next day, he regained his ability to speak and recovered full consciousness. Steroid treatment was then stopped after only two doses.
Over the following days, weakness, tremors and facial symptoms continued to improve. By the time he left hospital, he had regained independence in everyday act
ivities and could walk using only a walking stick. The authors emphasized that no antiviral drug was responsible for the recovery because all antimicrobial medications were discontinued once Usutu virus infection was confirmed.
Why Steroids Could Make a Difference
Researchers explained that growing evidence suggests much of the brain damage during viral encephalitis may result not from the virus itself but from an excessive immune reaction known as a cytokine storm.
When the immune system becomes overactive, inflammatory chemicals can damage the blood-brain barrier, allowing more immune cells and fluid to enter the brain. This leads to swelling, increased pressure and worsening neurological injury.
Recent laboratory and animal studies cited by the researchers showed that dexamethasone reduced inflammatory signaling, limited immune cell invasion into the brain and preserved blood-brain barrier integrity without increasing viral replication. These findings suggest that calming harmful inflammation rather than attacking the virus directly may reduce disease severity.
More Research Still Needed
The authors stressed that this is a single case report and cannot prove steroids are an effective treatment for all patients with Usutu virus encephalitis. However, they believe the rapid improvement observed, combined with growing evidence from laboratory studies, provides a compelling reason for larger clinical investigations. They also stressed that doctors in regions where Usutu virus circulates should remain alert because infections may be mistaken for West Nile virus, delaying accurate diagnosis and treatment.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Case Reports in Infectious Diseases.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/crdi/2284329
Conclusion: Although this single patient cannot establish a new standard of care, the remarkable recovery after only two doses of dexamethasone suggests that carefully targeted immune-modulating therapy deserves urgent investigation. If confirmed in larger studies, corticosteroids could become an important supportive treatment for severe Usutu virus encephalitis, a disease that currently has no approved antiviral therapy.
For the latest on the Usutu Virus, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/dengue-news
Share
Tweet
Share
