Abstract
The significantly higher mortality rates seen in the elderly compared with young children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic is likely to be driven in part by an impaired immune response in older individuals. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) seroprevalence approaches 80% in the elderly. CMV has been shown to accelerate immune ageing by affecting peripheral blood T cell phenotypes and increasing inflammatory mediated cytokines such as IL-6. The elderly with pre-existing but clinically silent CMV infection may therefore be particularly susceptible to severe Covid-19 disease and succumb to a cytokine storm which may have been promoted by CMV. Here, we evaluate the potential role of CMV in those with severe Covid-19 disease and consider how this relationship can be investigated in current research studies.
Keywords:
CMV; COVID-19; immunosenescence.
© 2020 The Authors. Reviews in Medical Virology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
MeSH terms
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Age Factors
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Aged
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Betacoronavirus / immunology
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Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity*
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COVID-19
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Child
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Coinfection
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Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
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Coronavirus Infections / immunology
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Coronavirus Infections / mortality
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Coronavirus Infections / virology
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / epidemiology*
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / immunology
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / mortality
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / virology
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Cytokines / genetics
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Cytokines / immunology
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Cytomegalovirus / immunology
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Cytomegalovirus / pathogenicity*
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Cytomegalovirus Infections / epidemiology*
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Cytomegalovirus Infections / immunology
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Cytomegalovirus Infections / mortality
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Cytomegalovirus Infections / virology
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Disease Progression
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Humans
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Immunosenescence*
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Pandemics*
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Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
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Pneumonia, Viral / immunology
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Pneumonia, Viral / mortality
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Pneumonia, Viral / virology
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SARS-CoV-2
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Seroepidemiologic Studies
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Severity of Illness Index
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Survival Analysis
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T-Lymphocytes / immunology
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T-Lymphocytes / pathology
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T-Lymphocytes / virology