HWN Suggests

Little-Known Virus Found in Half of Parkinson’s Brains

Human pegivirus belongs to the flavivirus family, which includes hepatitis C and West Nile virus. Unlike many viruses that establish dormant infections, pegivirus appears to actively replicate in brain tissue. The virus typically causes no symptoms and can persist in blood for years or decades in 1-5% of the population. The virus’s presence in brain tissue while being absent from blood samples in these patients suggests specific factors may facilitate its entry into the nervous system. Blood-brain barrier dysfunction or neuroinflammatory changes associated with Parkinson’s could create conditions allowing viral invasion.

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  What causes Parkinson's disease? Scientists uncover an unexpected new clue.

A recent study linking human pegivirus to Parkinson’s is leading scientists to examine the connection between other viral infections and neurodegenerative diseases. “This study doesn’t show a cause-and-effect relationship—it just suggests there may be a relationship between pegivirus and Parkinson’s,” says Joseph Jankovic, a neurologist and director of the Parkinson’s Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine. In order to understand the connection further, Jankovic says, “this study needs to be replicated in a different cohort of patients.”

 Could a Common Virus Help Drive Parkinson’s?

New research suggests a previously harmless virus may be linked to Parkinson’s disease. Scientists detected Human Pegivirus (HPgV) in the brains and spinal fluid of Parkinson’s patients but not in controls, challenging assumptions that the virus is benign. The findings showed that patients with the virus had distinct immune responses and advanced brain changes, which were further influenced by genetic mutations like LRRK2. This discovery highlights a potential environmental factor in Parkinson’s development and opens new avenues for research into viral and genetic interactions.

 ‘Harmless’ virus may actually be a trigger for Parkinson’s

“For a virus that was thought to be harmless, these findings suggest it may have important effects, in the context of Parkinson’s disease,” Igor Koralnik, MD, the study’s senior author, said in a Northwestern Medicine news story. “It may influence how Parkinson’s develops, especially in people with certain genetic backgrounds.”

Articles of Interest

Human Pegivirus Type 1: A Common Human Virus That Is Beneficial in Immune-Mediated Disease?

Two groups identified a novel human flavivirus in the mid-1990s. One group named the virus hepatitis G virus (HGV) and the other named it GB Virus type C (GBV-C). Sequence analyses found these two isolates to be the same virus, and subsequent studies found that the virus does not cause hepatitis despite sharing genome organization with hepatitis C virus. Although HGV/GBV-C infection is common and may cause persistent infection in humans, the virus does not appear to directly cause any other known disease state.

Parkinson's Virus Link

A new study by Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, published in JCI Insight, suggests that a typically harmless virus might be a contributing environmental factor in the development of Parkinson’s disease. Although some cases of Parkinson’s have genetic origins, the majority have no clear cause.

Review of human pegivirus: Prevalence, transmission, pathogenesis, and clinical implication

Human pegivirus (HPgV-1), previously known as GB virus C (GBV-C) or hepatitis G virus (HGV), is a single-stranded positive RNA virus belonging to the genus Pegivirus of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted by percutaneous injuries (PIs), contaminated blood and/or blood products, sexual contact, and vertical mother-to-child transmission. It is widely prevalent in general population, especially in high-risk groups. HPgV-1 viremia is typically cleared within the first 1–2 years of infection in most healthy individuals, but may persist for longer periods of time in immunocompromised individuals and/or those co-infected by other viruses.

The human pegivirus: A new name for an “ancient” virus. Can transfusion medicine come up with something new?

Human pegivirus (HPgV, formerly called GB virus C/hepatitis G virus) is a poorly understood RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family. Th e HPgV infection is common worldwide and the virus is likely transmitted by blood products. At this time, no causal association between HPgV and human diseases has been identified. While waiting for new fi ndings to better understand the Pegivirus genus, the aim of our narrative review is to discuss the currently available information on HPgV focusing on its prevalence in blood donors and its potential threat to transfusion safety.

The Second Human Pegivirus, a Non-Pathogenic RNA Virus with Low Prevalence and Minimal Genetic Diversity.

The second human pegivirus (HPgV-2) is a virus discovered in the plasma of a hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patient in 2015 belonging to the pegiviruses of the family Flaviviridae. HPgV-2 has been proved to be epidemiologically associated with and structurally similar to HCV but unrelated to HCV disease and non-pathogenic, but its natural history and tissue tropism remain unclear.

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ViralZone

Pegivirus is a genus of ssRNA+ viruses in the Flaviviridae family that infect primates. Human pegivirus (HPgV-1), formerly known as GB virus C (GBV-C) or hepatitis G virus (HGV), is asymptomatic. It is transmitted through percutaneous injuries (PIs), contaminated blood and/or blood products, sexual contact, and vertical mother-to-child transmission. It is prevalent in the general population, especially in high-risk groups.