Henipavirus infection of the central nervous system

Abstract

Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus are highly pathogenic zoonotic viruses of the genus Henipavirus, family Paramyxoviridae. These viruses were first identified as the causative agents of severe respiratory and encephalitic disease in the 1990s across Australia and Southern Asia with mortality rates reaching up to 75%. While outbreaks of Nipah and Hendra virus infections remain rare and sporadic, there is concern that NiV has pandemic potential. Despite increased attention, little is understood about the neuropathogenesis of henipavirus infection. Neuropathogenesis appears to arise from dual mechanisms of vascular disease and direct parenchymal brain infection, but the relative contributions remain unknown while respiratory disease arises from vasculitis and respiratory epithelial cell infection. This review will address NiV basic clinical disease, pathology and pathogenesis with a particular focus on central nervous system (CNS) infection and address the necessity of a model of relapsed CNS infection. Additionally, the innate immune responses to NiV infection in vitro and in the CNS are reviewed as it is likely linked to any persistent CNS infection.

Central nervous system involvement by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)

“…Central nervous system (CNS) involvement can complicate infections both by viruses that primarily affect humans, and by some animal viruses that can cross species barriers to infect humans, particularly in vulnerable populations 4 . Examples of respiratory viruses with neuroinvasive and neurotropic potential include the influenza virus, 5 human metapneumovirus, 5 members of the Enterovirus/rhinovirus genus, echoviruses, coxsackieviruses, 6 respiratory syncytial virus, 5 and the highly pathogenic zoonotic members of the Henipavirus genus, Hendra, and Nipah viruses 7 …”

Human Coronaviruses and Other Respiratory Viruses: Underestimated Opportunistic Pathogens of the Central Nervous System?

“…Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV) are both highly pathogenic zoonotic members of the Henipavirus genus and represent important emerging viruses discovered in the late 1990s in Australia and southern Asia. They are the etiological agents of acute and severe respiratory disease in humans, including pneumonia, pulmonary edema and necrotizing alveolitis with hemorrhage [135][136][137][138].…”

“…Although very similar at the genomic level, both viruses infect different intermediate animal reservoirs: the horse for HeV and the pig for NiV as a first step before crossing the barrier species towards humans [135]. In humans, it can lead to different types of encephalitis, as several types of CNS resident cells (including neurons) can be infected [139,140].…”

Fitness selection of hyperfusogenic measles virus F proteins associated with neuropathogenic phenotypes

“…Nonetheless, a phylogenetic tree shows that we chose prototypical viruses that span the diversity within the Paramyxoviridae (Fig 5B). We speculated that mutation in this position may also change the fusion activity of other paramyxoviruses, particularly those of henipaviruses, the only other genus of paramyxoviruses known to use protein receptors and also cause chronic latent CNS infections 35 . Thus, we introduced these mutations into NiV-F (L134H and L134F) and evaluated their fusion activity (when cotransfected with NiV-RBP) by our QIFA.…”