The body has an early warning system that helps the brain prepare for a viral attack

Picture this: You're enjoying a summer lunch outdoors, unaware that beneath the table, a hungry mosquito is circling your ankles—until you feel the telltale bite.

If that mosquito happens to be carrying a pathogen like West Nile virus (WNV), that bite could turn into more than a nuisance.

There is a chance the virus could make its way through the body, leaving serious symptoms in its wake, or cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), causing potentially fatal encephalitis. ...