scholarly journals Viral Infections, Including Influenza and Corona Virus Disease 2019, and Vitamin D: A Mini-Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srđana Čulić

Recent research about the influence of vitamin D (VD) deficiency on the occurrence of viral infections suggests that children with VD deficiency have attenuated immune response. This, in turn, increases the severity of viral infections, especially those of the respiratory tract, that show a typical seasonality pattern during the winter months. Despite the immunization of children at the global level, outbreaks of influenza do frequently occur. Over the past months, we have witnessed that the explosive pandemic of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused significant mortality in some countries. Numerous studies have shown that VD deficiency is increasingly prevalent worldwide, and that it is potentially associated with the onset of viral infections. Persons with hypovitaminosis D and subsequent secondary immunodeficiencies ought to be identified and treated, while preventive supplementation of VD should be recommended to the general population to avoid VD deficiency during the winter. In this way, the burden of viral infections on population health and economy could be reduced. This paper also reviews the influence of VD on infections caused by hepatitis B and C viruses, human papillomavirus, Epstein–Barr virus, Human herpes virus 6, herpes simplex virus, and human immunodeficiency virus.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeraj Sharma ◽  
Rajat Shukla ◽  
Rachna Warrier ◽  
Kunal Kumar ◽  
Nalin Singh ◽  
...  

Abstract Pancytopenia is a condition when person has low count of all three types of blood cells causing a triage of anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. It should not be considered as a disease in itself but rather the sign of a disease that needs to be further evaluated. Among the various causes, viral infections like Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus and Parvovirus B19 have been implicated. Pancytopenia is a rare complication and not commonly seen in patients with COVID 19 disease. Here, we report a case of pancytopenia in previously immunocompetent elderly male patient with SARS-CoV2 infection.


2012 ◽  
pp. 305-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Lilia Diaz Betancourth ◽  
Julio Cesar Klinger ◽  
Victoria Eugenia Niño

Lymphocytopenia and CD4+ T lymphocytopenia can be associated with many bacterial, fungal, parasite and viral infections. They can also be found in autoimmune and neoplastic diseases, common variable immu­nodeficiency syndrome, physical, psychological and traumatic stress, malnutrition and immunosuppressive therapy. Besides, they can also be brought into relation, without a known cause, with idiopathic CD4+ T lym­phocytopenia. Among viral infections, the Retrovirus, specially the human immunodeficiency virus, is the most frequently cause. However, many acute viral infections, including cytomegalovirus and Epstein Barr virus can be associated with transient lymphocytopenia and CD4+ T lymphocytopenia. As is well known, transient lymphocytopenia and CD4+ T lymphocytopenia are temporary and overcome when the disease improves. Nonetheless, severe CD4+ T Lymphocytopenia associated with chronic infections by human herpes virus has not been reported. We describe 6 cases of human immunodeficiency virus negative patients, with chronic cytomegalovirus and Epstein Barr virus infections and profound lymphocytopenia with clinical symptoms of cellular immunodeficiency. These patients improved rapidly with ganciclovir or valganciclovir treatment. We claim here that it is important to consider the chronic human herpes virus infection in the differential diag­nosis of profoundly CD4+ T lymphocytopenia etiology, when human immunodeficiency virus is absent, in order to start effective treatment and to determine, in future studies, the impact of chronic human herpes virus infection in human beings’ health.


Author(s):  
Randall C. Walker

The following types of viral infections are discussed in this chapter: viral infections that have the capacity for multiorgan or systemic disease; infections that affect adults who may be otherwise healthy or at least not in special populations such as herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1, varicella-zoster virus (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus, adenovirus, mumps virus, human parvovirus B19, and coxsackievirus. Reviews of these viruses focus on differentiating clinical features, diagnostic tools and treatment, and salient microbiologic and epidemiologic factors.


Author(s):  
Peter G. E. Kennedy

Abstract Several viruses have the capacity to cause serious infections of the nervous system in patients who are immunosuppressed. Individuals may be immunosuppressed because of primary inherited immunodeficiency, secondary immunodeficiency due to particular diseases such as malignancy, administration of immunosuppressant drugs or organ or bone marrow transplantation. The viruses capable of such opportunistic infection of the nervous system include herpes simplex virus (HSV), Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein –Barr virus (EBV), Human Herpes virus type 6 (HHV-6), JC virus (JCV), enterovirus, measles virus and Covid-19. In most cases it seems likely that immunological defence mechanisms in the immunosuppressed are deficient which creates a suitable environment for certain viruses to become opportunistic in the nervous and other systems. Further research is required both to understand these opportunistic mechanisms in more detail and also to determine how many virus infections are modified by specific inborn errors of immunological responses.


1985 ◽  
Vol 147 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. King ◽  
S. J. Cooper ◽  
J. A. P. Earle ◽  
S. J. Martin ◽  
N. V. McFerran ◽  
...  

SummarySerum antibody titres to eight neurotropic viruses were measured by enzyme immunoassay in 450 psychiatric in-patients and 143 controls. A seasonal variation in schizophrenic births was observed, with a peak incidence between March and April. Both herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus antibody titres correlated with age and, when this was controlled for, no significant differences emerged between any patient group and the controls. Mumps antibody titres were significantly lower in patients with mental subnormal and neurosis or personality disorder; measles and rubella antibody titres were lower in male but not female mentally handicapped patients; males had lower antibody titres to mumps, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus than females in all groups. A decrease in mumps antibody titres was also found in schizophrenics if the medication factor was excluded. These low antibody titres may indicate an impaired immune response. Thus perinatal or childhood subclinical viral infections of the central nervous system, particularly of mumps, might lead to a range of possible psychiatric outcomes in later life.


Author(s):  
Marc Bulterys ◽  
Julia Brotherton ◽  
Ding-Shinn Chen

This chapter discusses primary prevention measures that disrupt transmission of oncogenic infections. It begins by discussing vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), two major causes of cancer for which safe and effective vaccines are currently available. It briefly discusses the importance of treatment and prophylaxis against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), which potentiates the virulence of other viral infections as well as directly increasing the incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It does not discuss the treatment of HBV or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, since these are considered in Chapters 25 and 33. Also beyond the scope of this chapter are the randomized clinical trials currently underway to assess the efficacy and feasibility of eradication of Helicobacter pylori (Chapters 24, 31), vaccination against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (Chapters 24, 26, 39), or the prevention of schistosomiasis and liver flukes (Chapters 24, 33, and 52).


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Lydia Krause ◽  
Elif Weidinger ◽  
Judith Matz ◽  
Agnes Wildenauer ◽  
Jenny Katharina Wagner ◽  
...  

There are several infectious agents in the environment that can cause persistent infections in the host. They usually cause their symptoms shortly after first infection and later persist as silent viruses and bacteria within the body. However, these chronic infections may play an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and Tourette's syndrome (TS). We investigated the distribution of different neurotrophic infectious agents in TS, schizophrenia and controls. A total of 93 individuals were included (schizophrenic patients, Tourette patients and controls). We evaluated antibodies against cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes-simplex virus (HSV), Epstein-Barr virus, Toxoplasma, Mycoplasma and Chlamydia trachomatis/pneumoniae. By comparing schizophrenia and TS, we found a higher prevalence of HSV (P=0.017) and CMV (P=0.017) antibodies in schizophrenic patients. Considering the relationship between schizophrenia, TS and healthy controls, we showed that there are associations for Chlamydia trachomatis (P=0.007), HSV (P=0.027) and CMV (P=0.029). When all measured viruses, bacteria and protozoa were combined, schizophrenic patients had a higher rate of antibodies to infectious agents than TS patients (P=0.049). Tourette and schizophrenic patients show a different vulnerability to infectious agents. Schizophrenic patients were found to have a higher susceptibility to viral infections than individuals with TS. This finding might point to a modification in special immune parameters in these diseases.


2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 4326-4330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark N. Prichard ◽  
Caroll B. Hartline ◽  
Emma A. Harden ◽  
Shannon L. Daily ◽  
James R. Beadle ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) often suffer from herpesvirus infections as a result of immunosuppression. These infections can occur while patients are receiving antiretroviral therapy, and additional drugs required to treat their infection can adversely affect compliance. It would be useful to have antivirals with a broader spectrum of activity that included both HIV and the herpesviruses. We reported previously that alkoxyalkyl ester prodrugs of cidofovir are up to 3 orders of magnitude more active against herpesvirus replication and may be less toxic than the unmodified drug. To determine if this strategy would be effective for certain phosphonomethoxyethyl nucleoside phosphonates which are also active against HIV infections, the hexadecyloxypropyl (HDP) esters of 1-(phosphonomethoxyethyl)-cytosine, 1-(phosphonomethoxyethyl)-5-bromo-cytosine (PME-5BrC), 1-(phosphonomethoxyethyl)-5-fluoro-cytosine, 9-(phosphonomethoxyethyl)-2,6-diaminopurine (PME-DAP), and 9-(phosphonomethoxyethyl)-2-amino-6-cyclopropylaminopurine (PME-cPrDAP) were evaluated for activity against herpesvirus replication. The HDP esters were substantially more active than the unmodified acyclic nucleoside phosphonates, indicating that esterification with alkoxyalkyl groups increases the antiviral activity of many acyclic nucleoside phosphonates. The most interesting compounds included HDP-PME-cPrDAP and HDP-PME-DAP, which were 12- to 43-fold more active than the parent nucleoside phosphonates against herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus, and HDP-PME-cPrDAP and HDP-PME-5BrC which were especially active against Epstein-Barr virus. The results presented here indicate that HDP-esterified acyclic nucleoside phosphonates with antiviral activity against HIV also inhibit the replication of some herpesviruses and can extend the spectrum of activity for these compounds.


Author(s):  
Ting Chen ◽  
Jiayi Song ◽  
Hongli Liu ◽  
Hongmei Zheng ◽  
Changzheng Chen

Abstract Background Since December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused an outbreak of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China. The Objective of this study was to detect the EBV coinfection in COVID-19.Methods In this retrospective single-center study, we included 67 patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 9 to February 29, 2020. Patients were divided into EBV seropositive group and seronegative group according to the serological results of EBV, and the characteristics differences between the two groups were compared.Results 67 COVID-19 patients were included in our study. The median age was 37 years, with 35 (52.2%) females. Among these COVID-19 patients, 37 (55.2%) patients were seropositive for EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgM antibody. EBV seropositive COVID-19 patients had a 3.09-fold risk of having a fever symptom than EBV seronegative (95%CI, 1.11-8.56; P=0.03). C-reactive protein (CRP) (P=0.02) and the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P=0.04) in EBV seropositive COVID-19 patients were higher than that in EBV seronegative patients. EB seropositive patients had a higher portion of corticosteroid use than the EB seronegative patients (P=0.03).Conclusions EBV acute infection was found in COVID-19 patients. EBV seropositivity was associated with fever and increased inflammation. EBV reactivation may affected the treatment of COVID-19.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Chen ◽  
Jiayi Song ◽  
Hongli Liu ◽  
Hongmei Zheng ◽  
Changzheng Chen

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