Researchers crack the code of a deadly virus

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an unforgiving killer of horses, donkeys and zebras, resulting in mortality as high as 80 percent of infected animals. It causes rapid, catastrophic swelling of the brain and spinal cord, leading to severe neurological symptoms and—in many cases—sudden death. The virus can also infect humans, with similar results. The U.S. and Soviet Union both weaponized VEEV during the Cold War, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health to classify VEEV as a category B pathogen.

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