1. The Auditory Pathway in Congenitally Cytomegalovirus-Infected Human Fetuses
- Author
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Liliana Gabrielli, Maria Paola Bonasoni, Giulia Piccirilli, Evangelia Petrisli, Simona Venturoli, Alessia Cantiani, Matteo Pavoni, Concetta Marsico, Maria Grazia Capretti, Giuliana Simonazzi, and Tiziana Lazzarotto
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cytomegalovirus ,congenital infection ,hearing loss ,temporal lobe ,auditory cortex ,inner ear ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the main cause of non-hereditary sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). In order to shed light on SNHL pathophysiology, we examined the auditory pathway in CMV-infected fetuses; the temporal lobe, in particular the auditory cortex, and the inner ear. We investigated both inner ears and temporal lobes of 20 human CMV-infected fetuses at 21 weeks of gestation. As a negative group, five fetuses from spontaneous miscarriages without CMV infection were studied. Inner ears and temporal lobes were histologically examined, immunohistochemistry for CMV and CMV-PCR were performed. On the auditory cortex, we evaluated the local microglial reaction to the infection. CMV-positive cells were found in 14/20 brains and the damage was classified as severe, moderate, or mild, according to histological features. Fetuses with severe brain damage had a statistically higher temporal lobe viral load and a higher number of activated microglial cells in the auditory cortex compared to fetuses with mild brain damage (p: 0.01; p: 0.01). In the inner ears, the marginal cells of the stria vascularis were the most CMV positive. In our study, CMV affected the auditory pathway, suggesting a tropism for this route. In addition, in the auditory cortex, microglial activation may favor further tissue damage contributing to hearing loss.
- Published
- 2024
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