Cited by 1,048Infectious Encephalopathies and EncephalitisLong-Term Effects of COVID-19Respiratory viral infections research

Human coronaviruses and other respiratory viruses: underestimated opportunistic pathogens of the central nervous system?

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Desforges, Marc, Le Coupanec, Alain, Dubeau, Philippe, Bourgouin, Andréanne, Lajoie, Louise, Dubé, Mathieu, Talbot, Pierre J.·2019·Viruses

Abstract

Respiratory viruses infect the human upper respiratory tract, mostly causing mild diseases. However, in vulnerable populations, such as newborns, infants, the elderly and immune-compromised individuals, these opportunistic pathogens can also affect the lower respiratory tract, causing a more severe disease (e.g., pneumonia). Respiratory viruses can also exacerbate asthma and lead to various types of respiratory distress syndromes. Furthermore, as they can adapt fast and cross the species barrier, some of these pathogens, like influenza A and SARS-CoV, have occasionally caused epidemics or pandemics, and were associated with more serious clinical diseases and even mortality. For a few decades now, data reported in the scientific literature has also demonstrated that several respiratory viruses have neuroinvasive capacities, since they can spread from the respiratory tract to the central nervous system (CNS). Viruses infecting human CNS cells could then cause different types of encephalopathy, including encephalitis, and long-term neurological diseases. Like other well-recognized neuroinvasive human viruses, respiratory viruses may damage the CNS as a result of misdirected host immune responses that could be associated with autoimmunity in susceptible individuals (virus-induced neuro-immunopathology) and/or viral replication, which directly causes damage to CNS cells (virus-induced neuropathology). The etiological agent of several neurological disorders remains unidentified. Opportunistic human respiratory pathogens could be associated with the triggering or the exacerbation of these disorders whose etiology remains poorly understood. Herein, we present a global portrait of some of the most prevalent or emerging human respiratory viruses that have been associated with possible pathogenic processes in CNS infection, with a special emphasis on human coronaviruses.

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  • Coronaviruses are potentially neurotropic and can induce neuronal injuries.

    “Clinical, post-mortem, animal, in vitro, and cell culture studies demonstrated that coronaviruses are potentially neurotropic and can induce neuronal injuries (Desforges et al., 2019).”
  • CoV can enter the brain through the olfactory tract in the early stages of infection or nasal vaccination.

    “As a consequence, CoV can enter the brain through the olfactory tract in the early stages of infection or nasal vaccination (Desforges et al., 2019, Mori, 2015).”

    From Nervous system involvement after infection with COVID-19 and other coronaviruses (2020) · cites this paper as Desforges et al., 2019

  • There is rare evidence that CoV, especially SARS-CoV-2, invade the nervous system via the blood circulation pathway.

    “Although there is rare evidence that CoV, especially SARS-CoV-2, invade the nervous system via the blood circulation pathway (Koyuncu et al., 2013, Desforges et al., 2019), subsequent studies are expected.”

    From Nervous system involvement after infection with COVID-19 and other coronaviruses (2020) · cites this paper as Desforges et al., 2019

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Authors
Desforges, M., Le Coupanec, A., Dubeau, P., Bourgouin, A., Lajoie, L., Dubé, M., & Talbot, P. J.
Affiliations
  • Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (CA)
  • Laboratory of Neuroimmunovirology, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)-Institut Armand-Frappier, Université du Québec, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada
  • Université de Sherbrooke (CA)
Corresponding author
  • Desforges, Marc
  • Talbot, Pierre J.
Venue
Viruses
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2019-12-20
Volume
12
Issue
1
Pages
14
ISSN
1999-4915 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2995936855
Cited by
1,048
References
341
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 59 · 2023: 101 · 2022: 200 · 2021: 323 · 2020: 314 · 2019: 3
FWCI
29.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Viruses (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • EspaceINRS (National Institute for Scientific Research (Canada)) (submittedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
  • Informationszentrum Lebenswissenschaften (ZB MED) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MT-9203)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Infectious Encephalopathies and Encephalitis
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Respiratory viral infections research
Keywords
human coronaviruses, respiratory viruses, central nervous system infection, encephalitis, neuropathology, opportunistic pathogens, emerging respiratory viruses, influenza A virus, SARS-CoV, autoimmunity, neurological disorders
MeSH terms
Animals, Central Nervous System, Humans, Nervous System Diseases, Respiratory Tract Infections, Virus Replication, Coronavirus, Coronavirus Infections, Encephalitis, Viral, Central Nervous System Viral Diseases

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