New research: herpes viruses infect neurons

[Merry]

An article in today's Medicalxpress discusses the discovery that herpes viruses can infect neurons.

For years, researchers have noted a tantalizing link between some neurologic conditions and certain species of the herpes virus. In patients with Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and cerebellar ataxia, among other neuropathies, the cerebrospinal fluid teems with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Yet, the nature of that link has remained unclear, as it has been assumed that EBV, as well as other viruses in the same sub-family, called gammaherpesviruses, cannot infect neurons.

"I couldn't believe it," [researcher Dr. Erie] Robertson said. "After 50 years of studying EBV, nobody had ever seen the virus in nerve cells. But maybe they just never looked."

According to Robertson, these data suggest that viral infection of neurons could be associated with neuropathology, though he emphasizes that it is not the same as establishing causality.

Why EBV and KSHV infection of neurons results in a specific destructive form of infection will also be explored in future research. In contrast, when these viruses infect other cell types, such as B cells, they enter a latent mode, in which virus particles are relatively dormant. But, when they infect neurons, the particles apparently direct the cells to produce large amounts of virus, burst, and die, which explains why the growth media bathing infected cells could be used to infect other cells. "That's an interesting twist," Robertson said.

If nothing else, the ability of gammaherpesviruses to infect neurons provides a new model system for studying viral life cycles. But these viruses ultimately may also prove useful in studying disease etiology."

The Medicalxpress article is here: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-12-herpes-viruses-infect-human-neurons.html
The abstract of the original research paper is here: http://mbio.asm.org/content/6/6/e01844-15

 

[Tim Foley]

Thanks, I just saw this article also and was thinking this may be why Dr. Montoya at Stanford is having some success with long term anti-virals.

 

[Who Me?]

The mess that is my brain would agree with this.

 

[ScottTriGuy]

Excellent info.

Boosts my hopes that the Isentress I started last week may be helpful.

 

[Strike me lucky]

We need more effective antivirals for herpes viruses.

 

[Cort]

Great article! Thanks...This quote caught my eye

"I couldn't believe it," [researcher Dr. Erie] Robertson said. "After 50 years of studying EBV, nobody had ever seen the virus in nerve cells. But maybe they just never looked."



It's fascinating that the herpes viruses do different things in different cells. It does not sound like a smoldering infection in those nerve cells.

Some more progress on understanding herpes viruses here;

http://www.cortjohnson.org/forums/t...off-antiviral-response-to-herpesviruses.2948/

 

[Cort]

We need more effective antivirals for herpes viruses.

CMX - a better version of Vistide - is in phase III trials for transplant victims. I believe its on a fast track...The CMX reps were at the last HHV6 Symposium. I think the trials will be over in 2016......

 

[Strike me lucky]

CMX - a better version of Vistide - is in phase III trials for transplant victims. I believe its on a fast track...The CMX reps were at the last HHV6 Symposium. I think the trials will be over in 2016......

Sounds good. 2016 isnt far away.
fast track cheap generics , i wish, maybe in India ; )

 

[JennyJenny]

I think the trials will be over in 2016......

Really? I thought they were starting in 2017 along with a blood test to be developed.