Dietary oxidative stress and the potentiation of viral infection

• Published in: Annual review of nutrition 1998-01, Vol.18 (1), p.93-116
• Main Authors: BECK, M. A, LEVANDER, O. A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acide gras; acide gras insature; acide gras polyinsature; acide nucleique; acide organique; acidos grasos poliinsaturados; animal models; Animals; arn; Biological and medical sciences; carence en oligoelement; carence en substance nutritive; carence en vitamine; carence minerale; compose nucleique; damage; danos; deficiencia de oligoelementos; deficiencia de vitaminas; deficiencias nutritivas; degat; descendance; Diet; dieta; element chimique; element de transition; element metallique; enzyme; estres; exces de substance nutritive; exceso de nutrientes; fer; glutathion peroxydase; glutathione peroxidase; glutation peroxidasa; gold; hierro; Humans; immune response; immunite; ingestion de nutrientes; ingestion de substances nutritives; iron; maladie infectieuse; mammifere; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; metal lourd; mice; modele animal; modelos animales; mutant 830 acide; mutantes; mutants; nutrient deficiencies; nutrient excesses; nutrient intake; Nutrition; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; oro; Other nutritional diseases (malnutrition, nutritional and vitamin deficiencies...); oxidacion; oxidation; Oxidative Stress; oxydation; oxydoreductase; peroxydase; polyunsaturated fatty acids; proteinas; proteine; proteins; raton; reaction chimique; regime alimentaire; reponse immunitaire; respuesta inmunologica; riesgo; risk; risque; rna; rodentia; selenio; Selenium; Selenium - deficiency; semi metal; souris; stress; trace element deficiencies; trouble; trouble fonctionnel; trouble nutritionnel; Viral diseases; virose; viroses; virosis; Virus Diseases; vitamin deficiencies; vitamin e; Vitamin E Deficiency; vitamina e; vitamine; vitamine e
• ISSN: 0199-9885; 1545-4312
• DOI: 10.1146/annurev.nutr.18.1.93

Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of several viral infections, including hepatitis, influenza, and AIDS. Dietary oxidative stress due to either selenium or vitamin E deficiency increases cardiac damage in mice infected with a myocarditic strain of coxsackievirus B3. Such dietary oxidative stress also allows a normally benign (i.e. amyocarditic) coxsackievirus B3 to convert to virulence and cause heart damage. This conversion to virulence is due to a nucleotide sequence change in the genome of the benign virus, which then resembles more closely the nucleotide sequence of virulent strains. Although it has been known for many years that poor nutrition can affect host response to infection, this is the first report of host nutrition affecting the genetic sequence of a pathogen. Further research is needed to determine whether poor host nutrition plays any role in the emergence of new vital diseases via alterations in the genotype of an infectious agent.