Congenital infection caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: little-known problem in modern perinatal medicine
https://doi.org/10.21508/1027-4065-2026-71-3-16-25
Abstract
Congenital infections play a significant role in perinatal pathology. Of particular interest is the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (Lymphocytic choriomeningitis, ICD-10: A87.2), which has pronounced neurotropic and teratogenic effects. Congenital infection caused by the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus is characterized by microcephaly, hydrocephalus, periventricular calcifications, and visual and auditory lesions. Diagnosis is based on the identification of characteristic structural abnormalities during prenatal screening ultrasound and confirmation of the viral etiology of the disease. Specific antiviral drugs and vaccines against the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus are currently unavailable, so treatment is supportive. Approximately one-third of newborns die in infancy, and survivors develop persistent neurological and ophthalmological disorders. Given the underestimated prevalence of this virus, this work aims to systematize current data on the pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, and prognosis of congenital infection caused by the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.
About the Authors
H. A. SarkisyanRussian Federation
117997, Moscow
L. D. Vorona
Russian Federation
117997, Moscow
119620, Moscow
D. M. Muscherova
Russian Federation
117997, Moscow
A. I. Vavilova
Russian Federation
117997, Moscow
K. S. Zizyukina
Russian Federation
117997, Moscow
A. I. Krapivkin
Russian Federation
119620, Moscow
P. V. Shumilov
Russian Federation
117997, Moscow
References
1. William Burns, Darrah Haffner, Bimal P. Chaudhari. Advances in Genetic Testing of Neurologically Abnormal Neonates in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Clinics in Perinatology. 2025; 52(2): 271-288. DOI: 10.1016/j.clp.2025.02.006
2. Gonzalez-Fernandez M.D., Jiménez-Gil K., Garcés-Ramírez L., Martinez-Juarez A., Moreno-Verduzco E.R., Solis-Paredes J.M. et al. Epidemiological Surveillance of Genetically Determined Microcephaly in Latin America: A Narrative Review. Epidemiologia (Basel). 2025;6(3):37. DOI: 10.3390/epidemiologia6030037
3. Armstrong C., Lillie R.D. Experimental lymphocytic choriomeningitis of monkeys and mice produced by a virus encountered in studies of the 1933 St. Louis encephalitis epidemic. Public Health Rep 1934; 49: 1019-1027. DOI: 10.2307/458129
4. Komrower G.M., Williams B.L., Stones P.B. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis in the newborn; probable transplacental infection. Lancet. 1955;268(6866):697-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(55)91066-7
5. Delaine M., Weingertner A., Nougairede A., Lepiller Q., Fafi Kremer S., Favre R. et al. Microcephaly Caused by Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2017;23(9):1548-1550. DOI:10.3201/eid2309.170775
6. Barton L.L., Peters C.J., Ksiazek T.G. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: an unrecognized teratogenic pathogen. Emerg Infect Dis. 1995;1(4):152-3. DOI: 10.3201/eid0104.950410
7. Ortiz-Riaño E., Ngo N., Devito S., Eggink D., Munger J., Shaw M.L. et al. Inhibition of arenavirus by A3, a pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitor. J Virol. 2014;88(2):878-89. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02275-13
8. Sarkisyan H.A., Vorona L.D., Vavilova A.I., Khokhlova A.P., Kozodaeva V.I., Shumilov P.V. Congenital Zika virus infection: an emerging challenge in perinatal medicine. Vopr. ginekol. akus. perinatol. 2025; 24(1): 104–111. (in Russ). DOI: 10.20953/1726-1678-2025-1-104-111
9. Congenital and perinatal viral infections: a teaching aid / Authors: P.V. Shumilov, A. I. Krapivkin, E.A. Sargsyan, L.D. Vorona, A.A. Fadeeva. Moscow: State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Scientific and Practical Center for Specialized Medical Care for Children, Department of Health of Moscow”. 2025; 109 (in Russ.)
10. Wilson M.R., Peters C.J. Diseases of the central nervous system caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and other arenaviruses. Handb Clin Neurol. 2014;123:671-81. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53488-0.00033-X
11. Mehl C., Adeyemi O.A., Wylezich C., Hoper D., Beer M., Triebenbacher C. et al. Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Lineage V in Wood Mice, Germany. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024;30(2):399-401. DOI: 10.3201/eid3002.230868
12. Wen Y., Xu H., Wan W., Shang W., Jin R., Zhou F. et al. Visualizing lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection in cells and living mice. iScience. 2022;25(10):105090. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105090
13. Gass J.T., Nofchissey R.A., Twohig F.M., Ye C., Goodfellow S.M., Mentore K. et al. Discovery of a novel lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus strain associated with severe human disease in immunocompetent patient, New Mexico. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2025;14(1):2542250. DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2025.2542250
14. Anderson J.L., Levy P.T., Leonard K.B., Smyser C.D., Tychsen L., Cole F.S. Congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: when to consider the diagnosis. J Child Neurol. 2014;29(6):837-42. DOI: 10.1177/0883073813486295
15. Ferenc T., Vujica M., Mrzljak A., Vilibic-Cavlek T. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: An under-recognized congenital teratogen. 2022. World Journal of Clinical Cases 10(25):8922-8931. DOI:10.12998/wjcc.v10.i25.8922
16. Kimberlin D.W., Barnett E.D., Lynfield R., Sawyer M.H. Red Book: 2021–2024 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases 32nd Edition. Committee on Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics. 2024; 462-492
17. Fraczek M., Breckenridge H., Melano I., Squillacioti E., Nielsen-Saines K., Recinos V. et al. Intracranial calcifications in congenital viral infections: mechanisms and cellular roles. Curr Opin Virol. 2025;73:101479. DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2025.101479
18. Laposova K., Oveckova I., Pastorekova S., Rosocha J., Kuba D., Bena L. et al. Development and application of ELISA for the detection of IgG antibodies to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. 2016. Acta Virologica 60(02):143-150. DOI:10.4149/av_2016_02_143
19. Caron L., Delisle J.S., Strong J.E., Deschambault Y., Lombard-Vadnais F., Labbé A.C., et al. Armstrong strain lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection after accidental laboratory exposure. Virol J. 2023;20(1):294. DOI: 10.1186/s12985-023-02258-x
20. Olivieri N.R., Othman L., Flannery D.D., Gordon S.M. Transmission, seroprevalence, and maternal-fetal impact of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Pediatr 2024;95(2):456-463. DOI: 10.1038/s41390-023-02859-wRes.
21. Shaw A.B., Tse H.N., Byford O., Plahe G., Moon-Walker A., Hover S.E. et al. Cellular endosomal potassium ion flux regulates arenavirus uncoating during virus entry. mBio. 2024;15(7):e0168423. DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01684-23
22. Byford O., Shaw A.B., Tse H.N., Todd E-J. A., Alvarez-Rodriguez B., Hewson R. et al. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis arenavirus requires cellular COPI and AP-4 complexes for efficient virion production. J Virol. 2024;98(3):e0200623. DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02006-23
23. Byford O., Shaw A.B., Tse H.N., Moon-Walker A., Ollmann Saphire E., Whelan S-P.J. et al. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis arenavirus utilises intercellular connections for cell to cell spread. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):28961. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-79397-w
24. Kang S.S., McGavern D.B. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis infection of the central nervous system. Front Biosci. 2008;13:4529-43. DOI: 10.2741/3021
25. Grusdat M., Dostert C., Brenner D. Quantification of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus specific T cells and LCMV viral titers. Methods Cell Biol. 2023;173:121-131. DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2022.03.003
26. Barton L.L., Mets M.B. Congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection: decade of rediscovery. Clin Infect Dis. 2001;33(3):370-4. DOI: 10.1086/321897
27. Bonthius D.J. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus injures the developing brain: effects and mechanisms. Pediatr Res. 2024;95(2):551-557. DOI: 10.1038/s41390-023-02985-5
28. Koroknai A., Nagy A., Nagy O., Csonka N., Mezei E., Szomor K. et al. Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infections in Hungary between 2017–2023-Investigation of the First Congenital Infections. Diagnostics (Basel). 2024;14(13):1436. DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14131436
29. Remington and Klein’s Infectious diseases of the Fetus and Newborn Infant. Editors Yvonne A. Maldonado, Victor Nizet, Elizabeth D. Barnett, Kathryn M. Edwards, Richard I. Malley. Ninth th Edition. 2024. SBN: 9780323795258
30. Waqas M., Aziz S., Bushra A., Halim S.A., Ali A., Ullah S. et al. Employing an immunoinformatics approach revealed potent multi-epitope based subunit vaccine for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. J Infect Public Health. 2023;16(2):214-232. DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2022.12.023
31. Moon-Walker A., Zhang Z., Zyla D.S., Buck T.K., Li H., Avalos R.D. et al. Structural basis for antibody-mediated neutralization of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Cell Chem Biol. 2023;30(4):403-411.e4. DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.03.005
32. Sharma K., Singhapakdi K., Maertens P. Echoencephalography of encephalopathy due to congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. J Neuroimaging. 2022;32(3):412-419. DOI: 10.1111/jon.12989
33. Pencole L., Sibiude J., Weingertner A.S., Mandelbrot L., Vauloup-Fellous, Picone O. Congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: A review. Prenat Diagn. 2022;42(8):1059-1069. DOI: 10.1002/pd.6192
34. Wright R., Johnson D., Neumann M., Ksiazek T.G., Rollin P., Keech R.V. et al. Congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus syndrome: a disease that mimics congenital toxoplasmosis or Cytomegalovirus infection. Pediatrics. 1997;100(1):E9. DOI: 10.1542/peds.100.1.e9
35. Enders G., Varho-Göbel M., Löhler J., et al. Congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection: an under-diagnosed disease. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1999;18(7):652-5. DOI: 10.1097/00006454-199907000-00020
36. Enninga E.A.L., Theiler R.N. Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection Demonstrates Higher Replicative Capacity and Decreased Antiviral Response in the First-Trimester Placenta. J Immunol Res. 2019;2019:7375217. DOI: 10.1155/2019/7375217
37. Fortin O., DeBiasi R.L., Mulkey S.B. Congenital infectious encephalopathies from the intrapartum period to postnatal life. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2024;29(1):101526. DOI: 10.1016/j.siny.2024.101526
38. Fortin O., Mulkey S.B. Neurodevelopmental outcomes in congenital and perinatal infections. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2023;36(5):405-413. DOI: 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000946
39. Kagan K.O., Hoopmann M., Geipel A., Sonek J., Enders M. Prenatal parvovirus B19 infection. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2024;310(5):2363-2371. DOI: 10.1007/s00404-024-07644-6
40. Jiménez Cruz J., Axt-Fliedner R., Berg C., et al. Ongoing out-break of maternal parvovirus B19 infections in Germany since end of 2023: consequence of COVID-19 pandemic? Ultra-sound Obstet Gynecol. 2025;65(4):456-461. DOI: 10.1002/uog.29197
41. Liu A., Ying S. Aicardi-Goutières syndrome: A monogenic type I interferonopathy. Scand J Immunol. 2023;98(4):e13314. DOI: 10.1111/sji.13314
42. Trinh Q.D., Takada K., Pham N.T.K., Takano C., Namiki T., Ikuta R. et al. Enhancement of Rubella Virus Infection in Immortalized Human First-Trimester Trophoblasts Under Low-Glucose Stress Conditions. Front Microbiol. 2022;13:904189. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.904189
43. Jaan A., Rajnik M. TORCH Complex. 2023. In: StatPearls Internet. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025
44. Sankaran D., Partridge E., Lakshminrusimha S. Congenital Syphilis-An Illustrative Review. Children (Basel). 2023;10(8):1310. DOI: 10.3390/children10081310
45. Khizhak Ya.R., Sarkisyan Н.A., Komarova A.A., Mironova V.A., Zhuravleva I.V., Sarkisyan M.A., Shumilov P.V. Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: new answers to old problems. Detskie Infektsii=Children’s Infections. 2024; 23(2): 31-38. (in Russ.). DOI: 10.22627/2072-8107-2024-23-2-31-38
46. Sarkisyan H.A., Khokhlova A.P., Smolyannikova A.B., Shabelnik E.I., Shatokhina O.V., Savateeva O.I., Makarova L.M., Tsilinskaya O.V., Shumilov P.V. Features of clinical manifestations in a child with ring chromosome 13 syndrome in the neonatal period. Ros Vestn Perinatol i Pediatr 2025; 70:(2): 70–76 (in Russ). DOI: 10.21508/1027–4065–2025–70–2–70–76
47. Akyar M., Guney Varal İ., Tunç G., Oren A., Ongen Y.D., Cagan E. Persistent hypoglycemia in congenital syphilis: hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia with a focal pancreatic lesion. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2024;38(1):79-81. DOI: 10.1515/jpem-2024-0365
48. Petter C., Moreira L.M.A., Riegel M. Towards New Approaches to Evaluate Dynamic Mosaicism in Ring Chromosome 13 Syndrome. Case Rep Genet. 2019;2019:7250838. DOI: 10.1155/2019/7250838
49. Takayama-Ito M., Lim C.K., Yamaguchi Y. et al. Replication-incompetent rabies virus vector harboring glycoprotein gene of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) protects mice from LCMV challenge. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2018;12(4):e0006398. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006398
Review
For citations:
Sarkisyan H.A., Vorona L.D., Muscherova D.M., Vavilova A.I., Zizyukina K.S., Krapivkin A.I., Shumilov P.V. Congenital infection caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: little-known problem in modern perinatal medicine. Rossiyskiy Vestnik Perinatologii i Pediatrii (Russian Bulletin of Perinatology and Pediatrics). 2026;71(3):16-25. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.21508/1027-4065-2026-71-3-16-25
JATS XML






































