Influenza virus invades brain to cause serious illness

By understanding how the influenza virus manages to enter the brain to generate flu-associated encephalopathy, scientists can develop more effective treatments

The influenza virus can cause a serious illness called influenza-associated encephalopathy. To do this, it invades the brain in a very sneaky way. A study published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica On the 30th, he discovered exactly how this happens.

Flu-associated encephalopathy can manifest as inflammation in the brain (encephalitis) or as diffuse brain dysfunction (encephalopathy), and mainly affects children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

To better understand the mechanism that the flu virus uses to enter the brain, researchers at Osaka University used a combination of human brain samples, a mouse model and cell culture methods.

As a result, they discovered that the flu virus tends to accumulate in endothelial cells — responsible for the protective barrier between the blood and the brain.

The influenza virus did not actively reproduce in endothelial cells, but scientists still noticed an accumulation of viral proteins.

Treatment for encephalopathy

Symptoms of flu-associated encephalopathy can include high fever, confusion, changes in mental status, seizures, and even coma.

Treatment involves the use of antivirals to treat the infection, as well as supportive measures to control symptoms and prevent complications. In severe cases, hospital admission and intensive care may be required.

With the new information in hand, the study authors looked for antiviral drugs that focus on protein production processes rather than those that stop the virus from proliferating.

And it worked! The antiviral classes reduced the accumulation of viral proteins and cell death, showing high efficacy.

In other words: by better understanding how the influenza virus invades the brain to cause the disease, scientists can now test treatment methods that are more effective and targeted. It’s a line of reasoning that can also apply to other viruses.

Source: Acta Neuropathologica

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