Different CNS syndromes may develop after another type of infection. These usually begin with a common, often rather trivial, viral infection that may go unnoticed. A postinfectious neurologic syndrome then develops. These syndromes can include postinfectious encephalitis, postinfectious encephalomyelitis, or transverse myelitis (inflammation of one section of the spinal cord), often damaging the insulating material covering nerve cell fibers (myelin). Transverse myelitis interrupts the messages that the spinal cord nerves send throughout the body. This can cause pain, muscle weakness, paralysis, sensory problems, or bladder and bowel dysfunction. These reactions are presumably mediated by an immunologic response to the etiologic microbe or to antigens revealed as a result of the initial infection. Although rare, these syndromes can be severe or fatal.
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