If you need to define a word in your paper, the definition usually comes from a glossary in the back of a book. To properly attribute this definition you will need to cite it according to the American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines.
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain tissue. It's most often caused by viral infections. In some cases, bacterial infections can also cause encephalitis.
It's not always clear what causes encephalitis, but it can be caused by: 1  viral infections â several common viruses can spread to the brain and cause encephalitis in rare cases, including the herpes simplex virus (which causes cold sores and genital herpes) and the chickenpox virus.