In a potentially game-changing development, scientists at VTC’s Fralin Institute for Biomedical Research have uncovered a new understanding of a sometimes fatal viral infection that affects the heart.

Traditionally, the focus has been on inflammation of the heart, known as myocarditis. Myocarditis is often caused by the body’s immune response to a viral infection.

But new research led by Associate Professor James Smith of the Fralin Institute for Biomedical Research sheds new light on this concept, revealing that the virus itself creates potentially dangerous conditions in the heart before inflammation begins. I made it.

The discovery is now online and will be published in the March 29 issue of the magazine. circulation researchsuggests an entirely new direction for diagnosing and treating viral infections that affect the heart.

The insight is critical given the high incidence of virus-associated myocarditis leading to sudden cardiac death. Up to 42% of sudden cardiac deaths in young adults are caused by myocarditis, with viral infections being the leading cause.

From a clinical perspective, our understanding of viral infections of the heart has focused on inflammation, which causes problems with heart rate and rhythm. But it turns out there’s an acute phase, when the virus first infects the heart and before the body’s immune response triggers inflammation. In other words, even before the tissue becomes inflamed, the heart is preparing for an arrhythmia. ”

Mr. James Smith, Associate Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

To make this discovery, the researchers used murine adenovirus type 3 to recreate the human infection process, focusing on adenoviruses, a common cause of heart infections and myocarditis.

They found that early in the infection, the virus destroys critical components of the heart’s communication and electrical systems.

According to the study’s lead author, Rachel Padgett, a virologist who worked in Smith’s lab while earning her Ph.D. at Virginia Tech’s Translational College, the results show that even before symptoms appear, , adenovirus infection causes a condition that disrupts gap junctions and ion channels in the heart. Graduate programs in biology, medicine, and health.

Gap junctions are like tiny tunnels that allow communication between heart cells, and ion channels are like gates in cell membranes that generate the normal electrical activity patterns that allow the heart to beat properly. Helps maintain the proper balance of necessary ions. .

When an adenovirus infection disrupts these communication bridges and gatekeepers, the heart develops irregular patterns of electrical activity called arrhythmias, which can affect its mechanical beating and ability to pump blood, especially when the infection is active. It can cause sudden heart problems in sexual patients. .

Researchers are now aiming to reduce the risk of heart disease in people battling viral illnesses by targeting specific cardiac changes induced by viral infections at the molecular level.

“People with acute infections may look normal on an MRI or echocardiogram, but when we look deeper at the molecular level, we find that something very dangerous can happen,” Smith said. Told. “In terms of diagnosis, we can now work with our colleagues here to start looking at ways to analyze blood to find biomarkers for more serious problems. People get heart infections all the time, They recover. But can people who have a heart infection identify what’s different? Perhaps a simple blood test in the doctor’s office puts them at higher risk of developing an arrhythmia.”

Smith is also a member of the Department of Biological Sciences in the Virginia Tech College of Science.

This research was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Seal Innovation Fund, and the Dr. Leary Excellence Award.