Cytomegalovirus associated with mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, bipolar and psychosis

[Hip]

There seem to be several studies (see below) linking cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection with mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, bipolar and psychosis.

The first study below shows that it is only in cases of high cytomegalovirus antibody titres that anxiety and depression may appear (those positive for cytomegalovirus antibodies but with low titres did not have an higher prevalence of these mental conditions).

In my case, my cytomegalovirus antibody levels are constantly pretty high, some 34 times higher than the lab reference for negative. And I have anxiety and depression symptoms.



Studies Linking Cytomegalovirus to Mental Health Issues

Cytomegalovirus is associated with depression and anxiety in older adults 2008

The majority of the participants (66%) were CMV-seropositive and seropositive status was not associated with psychological morbidity.

However, within the CMV-positive group, individuals with higher CMV-specific antibody titres were more likely to be depressed, anxious, and suffer more overall psychological morbidity.

Large-scale study of Toxoplasma and Cytomegalovirus shows an association between infection and serious psychiatric disorders 2019

CMV infection might be a contributing causal factor for any psychiatric disorder.

CMV was more strongly associated with a more selected group of neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders

Is human cytomegalovirus a potential risk factor for mood disorders? A systematic review and meta-analysis 2023

The results of this meta-analysis study demonstrated that CMV infection might have associations with the incidence of mood disorders.

Cytomegalovirus antibodies are associated with mood disorders, suicide, markers of neuroinflammation, and microglia activation in postmortem brain samples 2023

CMV seropositivity significantly increased the odds of a mood disorder diagnosis (bipolar disorder: OR = 2.45; major depression: OR = 3.70) and among the psychiatric samples, of suicide (OR = 2.09).

A Peptide Link Between Human Cytomegalovirus Infection, Neuronal Migration, and Psychosis 2020

Psychosis also appears to be linked to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection.

Cytomegalovirus infection and IQ in patients with severe mental illness and healthy individuals 2021

Our findings suggest that CMV exposure may affect IQ in patients with severe mental illness but not HC [healthy controls].

Cytomegalovirus Antivirals

Antiviral drugs for CMV include Valcyte (valganciclovir), Vistide (cidofovir), Foscavir (foscarnet), Prevymis (letermovir) and Livtencity (maribavir).

Famvir (famciclovir) and Valtrex (valacyclovir) may have antiviral effects for CMV, though reports are contradictory.

Off-label drugs which are antiviral for CMV include: possibly artesunate (anti-malarial drug), leflunomide (immunosuppressive autoimmune disease drug).

Supplements which may have a mild antiviral effect on CMV in vivo include: monolaurin, Terminalia chebula, black seed oil (Nigella sativa), genistein, chlorella.



Natural killer (NK) cell activity is considered important in the control of cytomegalovirus infection, so some of the NK function boosters listed in this post such as Siberian ginseng might be helpful.

Siberian ginseng is one of the most potent NK cell function boosters.

 

[heapsreal]

Off-label drugs which are antiviral for CMV include: possibly artesunate (anti-malarial drug), leflunomide (immunosuppressive autoimmune disease drug).

Is there any research showing safety of artesunate long term?

I have been cycling on and off artesunate for last 12 months, mostly as a guess at treating possible chronic bacterial infections. I have been using other bacterial herbs constantly the last 12 months and have noticeable improvement, but it could be treating viruses too long with famvir I've been using for along time now.

 

[Hip]

Is there any research showing safety of artesunate long term?

I am not sure. I think artesunate fights cytomegalovirus more by an immunomodulator effect than a direct antiviral effect.

 

[godlovesatrier]

re nk cell function, high dose life extension reishi will work for that.

 

[godlovesatrier]

@heapsreal I guess the real worry is autoimmunity, I react to everything now and the onset is quite fast, used to be much slower. I haven't a clue why. if it's my mast cells then what specific virus is setting off my mast cell disease - some say lyme bacteria - who can say

 

[heapsreal]

@heapsreal I guess the real worry is autoimmunity, I react to everything now and the onset is quite fast, used to be much slower. I haven't a clue why. if it's my mast cells then what specific virus is setting off my mast cell disease - some say lyme bacteria - who can say

I guess I'm lucky in that I can tolerate most meds and supplements. It must be frustrating trying to find things that help especially with a mast cell disorder and or allergies etc.

 

[datadragon]

human cytomegalovirus hijacks the STING signaling pathway that normally recognizes viruses. STING stands for "stimulator of interferon genes". Interferons are messenger substances of the immune system that act directly against viruses and can also activate defense cells. In addition, interferons trigger further defense processes in a chain reaction. In the subgroup of dendritic cells, which are particularly susceptible to infection, the virus' own proteins block this protective function and instead reprogram them so that new virus particles are produced undisturbed. (2024) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45614-3

In my case, my cytomegalovirus antibody levels are constantly pretty high, some 34 times higher than the lab reference for negative. And I have anxiety and depression symptoms

This suggests that the virus was uncleared initially with a good NLRP3/TH1 response and was able to replicate, eventually this will create inflammation so you are in a later phase where you need to tap on the breaks instead to prevent tissue damage. Timing is important where inflammation is actually very important in early stages of viral infection (Type I interferon mediates an important innate immune response against viral infection by directly inhibiting viral replication.) and if you inhibit it too early there can be higher viral titers when challenged with influenza A virus etc during the early stages of infection, but it IS beneficial to inhibit in a later stage if the virus was able to replicate and was at that later stage causing inflammation because you did not have a good immune response early on, as inhibiting in later stages experienced less tissue damage to lungs. See my posts here.
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/herb-that-blocks-cytokine-production.91329/post-2450537
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...ed-abnormalities-in-me-cfs.90173/post-2437415

Note that PPAR-a inhibits sting which is beneficial in later stage but not early. PPAR-a we have discussed contributes toward lowering anxiety and depression. https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...g-apathy-social-withdrawal.90402/post-2438385 Part of the issue also is that zinc becomes locked up in the cell potentially causing a deficiency in the presence of pro inflammatory cytokines, and is also not released within the cell by selenium when needed to turn on the immune response.

Also LL-37 transports immunoreactive cGAMP to activate STING signaling and enhance interferon-mediated host antiviral immunity. . cGAMP transferred by LL-37 activates robust interferon responses and host antiviral immunity in a STING-dependent manner. Furthermore, we report that LL-37 inducers vitamin D3 and sodium butyrate promote host immunity by enhancing endogenous LL-37 expression and its mediated cGAMP immune response. This again may be more when needed to boost immune response rather than tamper when inflammation is high in a later stage of viral infection. https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/ll-37-peptide.90615/post-2441506

 

[heapsreal]

Interferons are messenger substances of the immune system that act directly against viruses and can also activate defense cells

Yes, interferon stimulates natural killer cells, which is a very common abnormality found in cfsme.

Immunovir which was a common treatment given by cfs drs 20yrs ago, is classed as an interferon inducer and this was its mechanism in how it increased nk function. Not a cure but it does help improve cfs some. It is an expensive treatment when you consider its a long term treatment of 3 grams a day for several months plus. Seems to work well in combination with antivirals in those cfsers who have active chronic viral infections.

 

[pattismith]

Also LL-37 transports immunoreactive cGAMP to activate STING signaling and enhance interferon-mediated host antiviral immunity. . cGAMP transferred by LL-37 activates robust interferon responses and host antiviral immunity in a STING-dependent manner.

Ganciclovir may be a STING activator as well

https://forums.phoenixrising.me/thr...ssive-disorder-japan-2023.91721/#post-2455642

 

[Blazer95]

Is there any indications that Cytomegalievirus might reduce CD8+ T Cells?

My LTT and serology came Back both - Not crazy high but on the Higher Side - and i have suspected IT might be connected.

Since CD8 T Cells are cytotoxic and all?

 

[pattismith]

Is there any indications that Cytomegalievirus might reduce CD8+ T Cells?

My LTT and serology came Back both - Not crazy high but on the Higher Side - and i have suspected IT might be connected.

Since CD8 T Cells are cytotoxic and all?

do you have low CD8 ?

 

[Blazer95]

Yep

 

[pattismith]

Yep

I have low CD8 as well, and my CD4/CD8 is about 5.
Do you know precisely your CD8 count and your CD4/CD8 ratio?

 

[heapsreal]

Is there any indications that Cytomegalievirus might reduce CD8+ T Cells?

My LTT and serology came Back both - Not crazy high but on the Higher Side - and i have suspected IT might be connected.

Since CD8 T Cells are cytotoxic and all?

Just a guess, but generally if immune markers are high, the immune system is activated by an infection or some autoimmune process. If low then maybe immune exhaustion, especially if you know you have chronic ongoing cmv infection for a long time???

 

[Blazer95]

I have low CD8 as well, and my CD4/CD8 is about 5.
Do you know precisely your CD8 count and your CD4/CD8 ratio?

Here it says i have 250/µl CD8+ T cells and according to my lab it should be: 270-1007/µl.

So while its not dangerously low its clearly out of range. My CD4/CD8 Ratio is normal but perhaps borderline at 2.8...

There is this subset of T-Cells called NK-T Cells wich shouldn't be confused with NK Cells.
These are reduced in me quite remarkably, me having only 2/µl NK-T cells with a normal range of 30-271/µl

Apparantly from what i have found out these so called NK-T Cells are very important managing infections aswell as autoimmune diseases. They are not too perfectly researched but apparantly a lack of NK-T Cells make a person more likely to get tuberculosis aswell as autoimmune diseases. So I guess its a sort of compromised immune system.

No immunologist was ever helpful in telling me this or whats even going on, not even daring to tell what could be done to stop this. Had to find this out myself....

 

[Violeta]

The degree of polymerization and sulfation patterns in heparan sulfate are critical determinants of cytomegalovirus entry into host cells.

We previously showed that MHC class II-restricted antigen presentation is increased when antigens are coupled to heparan sulfate ligands, suggesting that HSPGs might contribute to adaptive
immune responses.

The role of CD8 T cells in adaptive immune responses is well understood. These lymphocytes respond through their T cell receptors to diverse antigens presented by MHC class I molecules by proliferating, secreting cytokines and chemokines, and directly lysing infected cells.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a well-studied herpesvirus, has been implicated in malignancies derived from breast, colorectal muscle, brain, and other cancers. Intricate host-virus interactions are responsible for the cascade of events that have the potential to result in the transformed phenotype of normal cells.Jun 23, 2023

Heparan sulfate/heparanase/herpesviruses/cancer

Too tired atm to expand, but maybe will tomorrow morning.