Don't Go Breaking My Heart: MCMV as a Model for HCMV-Associated Cardiovascular Diseases.

Pathogens

Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.

Published: May 2021


Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen that causes lifelong latent infection and is associated with the exacerbation of chronic inflammatory diseases in seropositive individuals. Of particular impact, HCMV infection is known to worsen many cardiovascular diseases including myocarditis, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and transplant vasculopathy. Due to its similarity to HCMV, murine CMV (MCMV) is an appropriate model to understand HCMV-induced pathogenesis in the heart and vasculature. MCMV shares similar sequence homology and recapitulates much of the HCMV pathogenesis, including HCMV-induced cardiovascular diseases. This review provides insight into HCMV-associated cardiovascular diseases and the murine model of MCMV infection, which has been used to study the viral pathogenesis and mechanisms contributing to cardiovascular diseases. Our new functional studies using echocardiography demonstrate tachycardia and hypertrophy in the mouse, similar to HCMV-induced myocarditis in humans. For the first time, we show long term heart dysfunction and that MCMV reactivates from latency in the heart, which raises the intriguing idea that HCMV latency and frequent virus reactivation perturbs long term cardiovascular function.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8157551PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10050619DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cardiovascular diseases
20
hcmv-associated cardiovascular
8
long term
8
cardiovascular
6
diseases
6
mcmv
5
hcmv
5
breaking heart
4
heart mcmv
4
mcmv model
4

Similar Publications

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of death, particularly in developing countries, where their incidence continues to rise. Traditional CVD diagnostic methods are often time-consuming and inconvenient, necessitating more efficient alternatives. Rapid and accurate measurement of cardiac biomarkers released into body fluids is critical for early detection, timely intervention, and improved patient outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are highly effective medications for several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). However, safety concerns have led to regulatory restrictions.

Objective: To compare the risk of adverse events with JAK inhibitors vs tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists in patients with IMIDs in head-to-head comparative effectiveness studies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Race, Ethnicity, Insurance Payer, and Pediatric Cardiac Arrest Survival.

JAMA Netw Open

September 2025

Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Importance: Lower survival rates among Black adults relative to White adults after in-hospital cardiac arrest are well-described, but these findings have not been consistently replicated in pediatric studies.

Objective: To use a large, national, population-based inpatient database to evaluate the associations between in-hospital mortality in children receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and patient race or ethnicity, patient insurance status, and the treating hospital's proportion of Black and publicly insured patients.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective population-based cohort study used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database (1997-2019 triennial versions).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

From Gut Inflammation to Cardiovascular Conflagration: Mapping IBD's Cardiometabolic Risks.

Curr Atheroscler Rep

September 2025

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Lynda K. and David M. Underwood Center for Digestive Health, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to characterize the known cardiovascular (CV) manifestations associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the underlying mechanisms driving these associations.

Recent Findings: Gut dysbiosis, a hallmark of patients with IBD, can result in both local and systemic inflammation, thereby potentially increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the IBD population. Micronutrient deficiencies, anemia, and sarcopenia independently increase the risk of CVD and are frequent comorbidities of patients with IBD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF