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'Harmless' Virus Might Trigger Parkinson's Disease, Researchers Say
USA, JUL 8 – Human Pegivirus was found in 50% of Parkinson's patients studied and is present in 5-10% of healthy donors, suggesting a viral link to the disease, researchers said.
- Researchers from Northwestern Medicine found that Human Pegivirus , once considered harmless, might trigger Parkinson's disease by infecting the brain.
- Autopsies conducted on brains from people with Parkinson’s disease and those without revealed the presence of Human Pegivirus in half of the Parkinson’s cases, while none was detected in the non-Parkinson’s group, prompting further investigation into the virus’s potential involvement.
- HPgV is a blood-borne virus related to hepatitis C, found in spinal fluid of Parkinson's patients and linked to varied immune responses influenced by genetics like LRRK2 mutations.
- Dr. Koralnik stated, "We found the presence of a virus that was unsuspected," and noted that existing hepatitis C treatments might be repurposed to target HPgV for Parkinson's.
- These findings prompt further research to understand the virus's prevalence and interaction with genes, aiming to reveal Parkinson's origins and guide future therapies.
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Medical Xpress
UPI'Harmless' virus might trigger Parkinson's disease, researchers say
A common virus once thought harmless to humans might be linked to Parkinson's disease, a new study says. The germ, Human Pegivirus (HPgV), was found in half the autopsied brains of patients with Parkinson's, but not in any brains from healthy people, researchers report in the journal JCI Insight.
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