Human influenza A virus causes myocardial and cardiac-specific conduction system infections associated with early inflammation and premature death.

AIMS: Human influenza A virus (hIAV) infection is associated with important cardiovascular complications, although cardiac infection pathophysiology is poorly understood. We aimed to study the ability of hIAV of different pathogenicity to infect the mouse heart, and establish the relationship between the infective capacity and the associated in vivo, cellular and molecular alterations. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated lung and heart viral titres in mice infected with either one of several hIAV strains inoculated intranasally. 3D reconstructions of infected cardiac tissue were used to identify viral proteins inside mouse cardiomyocytes, Purkinje cells, and cardiac vessels. Viral replication was measured in mouse cultured cardiomyocytes. Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) were used to confirm infection and study underlying molecular alterations associated with the in vivo electrophysiological phenotype. Pathogenic and attenuated hIAV strains infected and replicated in cardiomyocytes, Purkinje cells, and hiPSC-CMs. The infection was also present in cardiac endothelial cells. Remarkably, lung viral titres did not statistically correlate with viral titres in the mouse heart. The highly pathogenic human recombinant virus PAmut showed faster replication, higher level of inflammatory cytokines in cardiac tissue and higher viral titres in cardiac HL-1 mouse cells and hiPSC-CMs compared with PB2mut-attenuated virus. Correspondingly, cardiac conduction alterations were especially pronounced in PAmut-infected mice, associated with high mortality rates, compared with PB2mut-infected animals. Consistently, connexin43 and NaV1.5 expression decreased acutely in hiPSC-CMs infected with PAmut virus. YEM1L protease also decreased more rapidly and to lower levels in PAmut-infected hiPSC-CMs compared with PB2mut-infected cells, consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction. Human IAV infection did not increase myocardial fibrosis at 4-day post-infection, although PAmut-infected mice showed an early increase in mRNAs expression of lysyl oxidase. CONCLUSION: Human IAV can infect the heart and cardiac-specific conduction system, which may contribute to cardiac complications and premature death.

Malaria grave, pielonefritis, sepsis, reacción leucemoide, abscesos hepáticos. A propósito de un caso clínico / Serious Malaria, pyelonephritis, sepsis, leucemoide reaction, liver abscesses. With regard to a clinical case

Caso problema de una paciente joven procedente de una zona endémica de malaria y una zona emergente de bartonellosis, que inicia un cuadro agudo de fiebre, ictericia y gran compromiso del estado general que la llevo al estado de shock séptico y por lo que fue atendida en este hospital. Durante su ingreso se plantearon patologías y diferentes entidades patológicas y que por prueba terapéutica se llegó al diagnóstico de malaria grave por Plasmodium falciparum. Presentó durante su evolución una serie de complicaciones tales como abscesos hepáticos y anemia severa, quedando por dilucidar si podría corresponder a un caso de bartonellosis.