Encephalitis is one of the most challenging syndromes for physicians to manage. Disease onset is acute, symptoms progress rapidly, and previously healthy individuals become quickly, and possibly permanently, disabled. One of the difficulties in both managing and performing research on encephalitis is the vast number of causative agents [1]. Infectious causes are diverse, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, and the microbiology of encephalitis represents a moving target. Historically important causes of encephalitis, such as measles, mumps, and rubella, have decreased, largely as a result of immunization campaigns [2]. At the same time, agents such as West Nile virus [3], enterovirus 71 [4], Australian bat Lyssavirus [5], and Nipah virus [6] have emerged as new or, in some cases, newly appreciated causes of encephalitis.