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Review
. 2023 Dec 21:11:1308105.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1308105. eCollection 2023.

An overview on viral interference during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Luigi Matera  1 , Sara Manti  2 , Laura Petrarca  1 , Alessandra Pierangeli  3 , Maria Giulia Conti  1 , Enrica Mancino  1 , Salvatore Leonardi  4 , Fabio Midulla  1 , Raffaella Nenna  1
Affiliations
Review

An overview on viral interference during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Luigi Matera et al. Front Pediatr. .

Abstract

Respiratory viruses represent the most frequent cause of mortality, morbidity and high healthcare costs for emergency visits and hospitalization in the pediatric age. Respiratory viruses can circulate simultaneously and can potentially infect the same host, determining different types of interactions, the so-called viral interference. The role of viral interference has assumed great importance since December 2019, when the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) came on the scene. The aim of this narrative review is to present our perspective regarding research in respiratory virus interference and discuss recent advances on the topic because, following SARS-CoV-2 restrictions mitigation, we are experimenting the co-circulation of respiratory viruses along with SARS-CoV-2. This scenario is raising many concerns about possible virus-virus interactions, both positive and negative, and the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic management of these coinfections. Moreover, we cannot rule out that also climatic conditions and social behaviours are involved. Thus, this situation can lead to different population epidemic dynamics, including changes in the age of the targeted population, disease course and severity, highlighting the need for prospective epidemiologic studies and mathematical modelling able to predict the timing and magnitude of epidemics caused by SARS-CoV-2/seasonal respiratory virus interactions in order to adjust better public health interventions.

Keywords: COVID-19; RSV; SARS-CoV-2; influenza; respiratory syncytial virus; respiratory viruses; viral interference.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A first viral exposure results in a productive viral infection and spread within the human respiratory epithelium; a type I and III interferons (IFNs) response triggered by specific viruses (e.g. rhinoviruses) makes most cells transiently nonpermissive to subsequent infections (e.g. SARS-CoV-2, influenza A virus) as detailed in references (–11).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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