Functional Dyspepsia and Chronic Gastritis Associated with Enteroviruses

Abstract

After decades of research, functional dyspepsia (FD) remains one of the most elusive gastrointestinal disorders. Endoscopic appearance of mild inflammation of the gastric mucosa without ulceration and microscopic evidence of mild chronic inflammation are often considered as normal findings since no etiology could be found other than H. pylori. Enteroviruses infect the gastrointestinal tract and have been shown to persist in the stomach of symptomatic patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). In this study, we evaluated FD patients with and without the diagnosis of ME/CFS, and were able to support the viral protein staining with finding of double-stranded RNA in 63% of the same stomach biopsies by immunoperoxidase staining. Furthermore, we clarified the possible cross-reaction with creatine kinase brain subtype (CKB), present in parietal cells, using antibody competition experiments and western blot analysis of stomach proteins. Viral protein+ and dsRNA+ biopsies were infectious in SCID mice. More research is needed to elucidate the mechanism of enterovirus infection of the stomach associated with FD and chronic gastritis.

Long COVID or Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC): An Overview of Biological Factors That May Contribute to Persistent Symptoms

“…One breast milk sample was positive for Ebola RNA at day 58, and another positive for Ebola RNA 500 days after hospital discharge. Ebola RNA identified in FIGURE 2 | Enteroviral capsid protein 1 in the stomach biopsy of an ME/CFS patient by immunoperoxidase staining (100×) (Chia et al, 2015). This type of chronic viral infection is difficult to identify without the use of special techniques such as antibody staining or nucleic acid amplification of biopsies taken from symptomatic areas, since viral cultures are rarely positive.…”

“…Several research teams have found enteroviruses in the blood and pancreas of patients with type 1 diabetes, and enteroviruses have been associated with increased risk of type 1 diabetes in prospective studies ( Tauriainen et al, 2011 ; Oikarinen et al, 2012 ). A number of teams have identified enteroviruses and their proteins in tissue samples obtained from patients with ME/CFS or ME/CFS-like symptoms ( Yousef et al, 1988 ; Dowsett et al, 1990 ; Chia et al, 2010 ; Chia et al, 2015 ). For example, Chia and Chia found enterovirus VP1 protein and RNA in stomach biopsy specimens obtained from 165 ME/CFS patients with chronic abdominal complaints.…”

The viral origin of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome

“…When Chia and colleagues analyzed many more such biopsies for EV VP1 and RNA, ME/CFS patients had a much higher proportion of positive signals compared to controls [ 18 ]. Subsequently, Chia demonstrated that extracts of stomach biopsies from people with ME/CFS were able to infect immunodeficient mice [ 19 ]. Unfortunately, the complete RNA genomes of EVs in these biopsies were not obtained.…”

Surveying the Metabolic and Dysfunctional Profiles of T Cells and NK Cells in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

“…ME/CFS biopsies have revealed an increased enterovirus presence in the muscles and stomach, along with higher serum antibodies, when compared to healthy controls [10,15,[39][40][41]. Interestingly, a study by John Chia's group found that stomach biopsies from individuals with ME/CFS could infect immunodeficient mice [42]. Overall, EBV, HHV-6, and enteroviruses demonstrate potential roles in ME/CFS pathogenesis, immune cell dysfunction, and symptom manifestation, requiring further research to unravel the viral mechanisms underlying this complex condition.…”