Innovative approaches to treatment of human herpesvirus infections during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

During lifetime the human body is constantly in contact with various microorganisms, which can be either harmless and/or beneficial, or can cause various infectious diseases. Acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) are the most common among them: according to the official report “The 2020 Status of Sanitary and Epidemiological Population Well-being in the Russian Federation” the economic cost of ARVI of multiple and unspecified localization was quite substantial, amounting to 606,505,442.0 roubles. The main causative agents of ARVI are influenza viruses type A and B, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza viruses, rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, human metapneumoviruses and seasonal coronaviruses. Several viruses, such as influenza virus, measles virus and coronaviruses MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 (causative agent of the novel coronavirus infection COVID-19) can cause severe pneumonia, which clinical picture can partially resemble seasonal ARVI. In addition to the well-known respiratory pathogens, special attention should be given to human herpesviruses with lifelong persistence that can cause chronic infections as well as reveal impaired immune surveillance. They are also detected in reactivation state in human lung (and other) tissues during asymptomatic course (HSV-1, EBV, CMV, HHV-6B, HHV-7). In this regard, it is essential to analyse the latest data on herpesviruses reactivation, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Key words: latent herpesviruses, genome editing, memory T-cell, recombinant interferon alpha-2b, Ophthalmoferon, Herpferon, Grippferon, COVID-19