Herpesvirus and neurological manifestations in patients with severe coronavirus disease

• Published in: Virology journal Vol. 19; no. 1; p. 101
• Main Authors: Carneiro, Vanessa Cristine de Souza, Alves-Leon, Soniza Vieira, Sarmento, Dmitry José de Santana, Coelho, Wagner Luis da Costa Nunes Pimentel, Moreira, Otacilio da Cruz, Salvio, Andreza Lemos, Ramos, Carlos Henrique Ferreira, Ramos Filho, Carlos Henrique Ferreira, Marques, Carla Augusta Barreto, da Costa Gonçalves, João Paulo, Leon, Luciane Almeida Amado, de Paula, Vanessa Salete
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 08-06-2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Central nervous system; Comorbidity; Complications and side effects; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; Cytomegalovirus; Encephalitis; Epstein-Barr virus; Herpes; Herpes simplex; Herpes viruses; Herpesviridae; Herpesviridae Infections - complications; Herpesviridae Infections - epidemiology; Herpesvirus; Herpesvirus 6, Human; Herpesvirus 7, Human; Herpesvirus diseases; Humans; Infections; Nervous system; Neurologic manifestations of general diseases; Neurological disorders; Neurological manifestations; Patients; Physiological aspects; Risk factors; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 infection; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Statistical analysis; Steroids; Brazil; United States > US; Neurological manifestations; SARS-CoV-2 infection; Herpesvirus
• ISSN: 1743-422X; 1743-422X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12985-022-01828-9

Certain clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mimic those associated with human herpesvirus (HHV) infection. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of herpesvirus in patients with COVID-19 and determined if coinfection is associated with poorer outcomes and neurological symptoms.
We analyzed samples of 53 patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The samples were evaluated for the presence of alphaherpesviruses, betaherpesviruses, and gammaherpesviruses, and the viral loads were quantified using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method.
Among the patients, in 79.2% had detection at least one type of herpesvirus. HHV-6 (47.2%), cytomegalovirus (43.3%), and HHV-7 (39.6%) showed the highest detection rates. Patients with a high severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) load were more likely to show herpes simplex virus 1 detection (p = 0.037). Among patients coinfected with SARS-CoV-2 and HHVs, 26.4% showed central nervous system-associated neurological symptoms and herpetic manifestations. A statistically significant association was observed between neurological changes and HHV-6 detection (p = 0.034).
The findings showed a high prevalence of herpesvirus in patients with COVID-19. Furthermore, even though SARS-CoV-2 and HHV coinfection was not associated with poorer outcomes, the findings demonstrated the association between neurological symptoms and HHV-6 detection.