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Review
. 2021 May 25;6(2):88.
doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed6020088.

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis-Emerging Trends of a Neglected Virus: A Narrative Review

Tatjana Vilibic-Cavlek  1   2 , Vladimir Savic  3 , Thomas Ferenc  4 , Anna Mrzljak  2   5 , Ljubo Barbic  6 , Maja Bogdanic  1 , Vladimir Stevanovic  6 , Irena Tabain  1 , Ivana Ferencak  1 , Snjezana Zidovec-Lepej  7
Affiliations
Review

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis-Emerging Trends of a Neglected Virus: A Narrative Review

Tatjana Vilibic-Cavlek et al. Trop Med Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a neglected rodent-borne zoonotic virus distributed worldwide. Since serologic assays are limited to several laboratories, the disease has been underreported, often making it difficult to determine incidence and seroprevalence rates. Although human clinical cases are rarely recorded, LCMV remains an important cause of meningitis in humans. In addition, a fatal donor-derived LCMV infection in several clusters of solid organ transplant recipients further highlighted a pathogenic potential and clinical significance of this virus. In the transplant populations, abnormalities of the central nervous system were also found, but were overshadowed by the systemic illness resembling the Lassa hemorrhagic fever. LCMV is also an emerging fetal teratogen. Hydrocephalus, periventricular calcifications and chorioretinitis are the predominant characteristics of congenital LCMV infection, occurring in 87.5% of cases. Mortality in congenitally infected children is about 35%, while 70% of them show long-term neurologic sequelae. Clinicians should be aware of the risks posed by LCMV and should consider the virus in the differential diagnosis of aseptic meningitis, especially in patients who reported contact with rodents. Furthermore, LCMV should be considered in infants and children with unexplained hydrocephalus, intracerebral calcifications and chorioretinitis. Despite intensive interdisciplinary research efforts, efficient antiviral therapy for LCMV infection is still not available.

Keywords: epidemiology; lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; pregnancy; transplant recipients.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geographic distribution of LCMV infections reported in humans and rodents.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Seroprevalence of LCMV in humans and rodents. (* patients with neuroinvasive disease, ** professionally exposed persons).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Phylogenetic neighbor-joining analysis of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) based on the small (S) gene segment. The tree is rooted with the Ippy virus. Strain/isolate designations, countries of origins, isolation/detection years and GenBank accession numbers are indicated at the branches. LCMV genetic lineages are indicated on the right. Supporting (≥50%) bootstrap values of 1000 replicates are displayed at the nodes. Horizontal distances are proportional to genetic distance. Scale bar indicates nucleotide substitutions per site. The interrupted branches, indicated by double slashes, were shortened by 50% for better graphic representation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Transplantation associated LCMV infection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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