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Ndondo AP, Eley B, Wilmshurst JM, Kakooza-Mwesige A, Giannoccaro MP, Willison HJ, Cruz PMR, Heckmann JM, Bateman K, Vincent A. Post-Infectious Autoimmunity in the Central (CNS) and Peripheral (PNS) Nervous Systems: An African Perspective. Front Immunol 2022; 13:833548. [PMID: 35356001 PMCID: PMC8959857 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.833548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The direct impact and sequelae of infections in children and adults result in significant morbidity and mortality especially when they involve the central (CNS) or peripheral nervous system (PNS). The historical understanding of the pathophysiology has been mostly focused on the direct impact of the various pathogens through neural tissue invasion. However, with the better understanding of neuroimmunology, there is a rapidly growing realization of the contribution of the innate and adaptive host immune responses in the pathogenesis of many CNS and PNS diseases. The balance between the protective and pathologic sequelae of immunity is fragile and can easily be tipped towards harm for the host. The matter of immune privilege and surveillance of the CNS/PNS compartments and the role of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood nerve barrier (BNB) makes this even more complex. Our understanding of the pathogenesis of many post-infectious manifestations of various microbial agents remains elusive, especially in the diverse African setting. Our exploration and better understanding of the neuroimmunology of some of the infectious diseases that we encounter in the continent will go a long way into helping us to improve their management and therefore lessen the burden. Africa is diverse and uniquely poised because of the mix of the classic, well described, autoimmune disease entities and the specifically "tropical" conditions. This review explores the current understanding of some of the para- and post-infectious autoimmune manifestations of CNS and PNS diseases in the African context. We highlight the clinical presentations, diagnosis and treatment of these neurological disorders and underscore the knowledge gaps and perspectives for future research using disease models of conditions that we see in the continent, some of which are not uniquely African and, where relevant, include discussion of the proposed mechanisms underlying pathogen-induced autoimmunity. This review covers the following conditions as models and highlight those in which a relationship with COVID-19 infection has been reported: a) Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy; b) Measles-associated encephalopathies; c) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) neuroimmune disorders, and particularly the difficulties associated with classical post-infectious autoimmune disorders such as the Guillain-Barré syndrome in the context of HIV and other infections. Finally, we describe NMDA-R encephalitis, which can be post-HSV encephalitis, summarise other antibody-mediated CNS diseases and describe myasthenia gravis as the classic antibody-mediated disease but with special features in Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin Pumelele Ndondo
- Department of Paediatric Neurology, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Brian Eley
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Paediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jo Madeleine Wilmshurst
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Department of Paediatric Neurology, Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Angelina Kakooza-Mwesige
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Maria Pia Giannoccaro
- Laboratory of Neuromuscular Pathology and Neuroimmunology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a CarattereScientifico (IRCCS) Instiuto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Hugh J Willison
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation (3I), University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Pedro M Rodríguez Cruz
- Centro Nacional de Analisis Genomico - Centre for Genomic Regulation (CNAG-CRG ), Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Neuromuscular Disease, University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom.,Faculté de Médecine, de Pharmacie et d'Odontologie, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Jeannine M Heckmann
- Neurology Division, Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.,The University of Cape Town (UCT) Neurosciences Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kathleen Bateman
- Neurology Division, Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Angela Vincent
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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