Enterovirus infection of the central nervous system of humans: lack of association with chronic neurological disease

Postpolio syndrome: a challenge to the health-care system

“…Of these, the most widely accepted maintains that PPS is the result of the gradual degeneration of motor units and the loss of the precarious balance between denervation and compensatory reinnervation [2,4,13,14,42,49]. In contrast, others hold that it stems from the influence of physiological neuronal loss in aging on a motor unit clinically or subclinically deteriorated by the enterovirus [12,24]; the triggering of a number of immunologic mechanisms [4,6,10,42]; poliovirus action [47,50,51]; or even that the symptoms and functional deterioration of polio survivors are due to orthopedic problems, biomechanical alterations and muscle overuse during the so-called period of stability and to which must be added the effect of additional neurological processes and other acute or chronic processes related to the ages of the victims [8,15,22].…”

Enterovirus Infections of the Central Nervous System

“…A second recent study has reported detection of PV RNA in CSF of patients with PPS, but not controls with stable polio. [84], However other studies have failed to detect cither PV-specific IgM [85] or PV RNA in CSF [86,87], suggesting that PV persistence does not occur. At present therefore conclusive evidence for a role of persis tent virus infection in the late effects of poliomyelitis is lacking.…”

“…but none of controls. CVB-like RNA has also been found in CSF from a small number of patients, but not controls [84], However a study conducted by one of us found that, while CVB-like RNA could be detected in postmortem CNS tissue from patients with MND, viral RNA could also be detected in CNS tissue from patients with noninfective conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, and pa tients without neurological disease [87], Further clarifica tion of the clinical and biological significance of enterovi rus RNA detection in CNS tissue is therefore required.…”

Isolation of polioviruses and other enteroviruses in south Greece between 1994 and 1998

“…Congenital infections also may occur, although their frequency is unknown and infection of neonate is frequently life-threatening (5). There is some evidence that enteroviruses are the possible etiological agents that cause or contribute to chronic diseases like dilated cardiomyopathy, one of the most common indications for heart transplantation, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, chronic fatigue syndrome and more, although such a role is still under debate (6)(7)(8).…”