Mpox virus can also infect the brain, say Swiss scientists

According to a new study, the Mpox virus can also infect the brain Keystone-SDA

The Mpox virus can also infect the human brain and damage brain cells. In view of the recent worldwide increase in Mpox cases, these new findings are of great importance, according to the University of Bern.

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This is not only for virology and neurobiology, but also from a public health perspective, the university and the Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) wrote in a press release on Monday.

The disease Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has spread rapidly in many countries in recent years. The disease is often mild, with flu-like symptoms and a rash. However, serious complications can also occur, as the university emphasised. Around 3% of all people infected with the Mpox virus (MPXV) between 1985 and 2021 developed neurological symptoms such as seizures or encephalitis. Some cases were fatal.

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Impact on nervous system little studied

Nevertheless, the extent to which the virus affects the human central nervous system is still poorly understood, according to the University of Bern. In collaboration with Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and the Spiez Federal Laboratory, researchers from the University of Bern and the IVI therefore investigated whether the virus can spread in the human brain.

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To do this, they used so-called brain organoids, three-dimensional mini-brains grown in the laboratory from human stem cells. These were exposed to a virus sample that had been isolated from a patient during the 2022 Mpox outbreak.

The scientists then observed how the virus spread from cell to cell. This led to the formation of so-called neuritic beads, bead-like thickenings that are also known from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The formation of these thickenings precedes the death of the nerve cells.

The research team also tested the effect of the antiviral drug Tecovirimat. The treatment was able to significantly reduce the viral load in the brain organoids. The results were published on Monday in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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