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©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Virol. Jun 25, 2023; 12(3): 172-192
Published online Jun 25, 2023. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v12.i3.172
Published online Jun 25, 2023. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v12.i3.172
Viruses and autism: A Bi-mutual cause and effect
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31511, Alghrabia, Egypt
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center, King Abdulla Medical City, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Manama 26671, Bahrain
Nermin Kamal Saeed, Medical Microbiology Section, Pathology Department, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Bahrain, Manama 12, Bahrain
Nermin Kamal Saeed, Microbiology Section, Pathology Department, Irish Royal College of Surgeon, Busaiteen 15503, Muharraq, Bahrain
Reem Elbeltagi, Department of Medicine, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain, Busiateen 15503, Muharraq, Bahrain
Adel Salah Bediwy, Department of Pulmonolgy, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Alghrabia, Egypt
Adel Salah Bediwy, Department of Chest Disease, University Medical Center, King Abdulla Medical City, Arabian Gulf University, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Manama 26671, Bahrain
Syed A Saboor Aftab, Endocrinology and DM, William Harvey Hospital (Paula Carr Centre), Ashford TN24 0LZ, Kent, United Kingdom
Rawan Alhawamdeh, Pediatrics Research and Development, Genomics Creativity and Play Center, Manama 0000, Bahrain
Author contributions: Al-Biltagi M, Saeed NK, Elbeltagi R, Bediwy AS, Aftab S, and Alhawamdeh R contributed equally to this work; all the authors worked together to; collect the data and write and revise the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mohammed Al-Beltagi, MBChB, MD, MSc, PhD, Academic Editor, Chairman, Consultant Physician-Scientist, Professor, Researcher, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Al bahr Street, Tanta 31511, Alghrabia, Egypt. mbelrem@hotmail.com
Received: February 15, 2023
Peer-review started: February 15, 2023
First decision: March 15, 2023
Revised: March 16, 2023
Accepted: April 18, 2023
Article in press: April 18, 2023
Published online: June 25, 2023
Peer-review started: February 15, 2023
First decision: March 15, 2023
Revised: March 16, 2023
Accepted: April 18, 2023
Article in press: April 18, 2023
Published online: June 25, 2023
Core Tip
Core Tip: There is a mutual relationship between viral infections and autism. There is an increased risk of developing autism when contracting a viral infection during pregnancy or early postnatal life during the critical period of brain development. At the same time, children with autism have many co-morbidities that expose them to more risk of contracting infections, including viruses. Therefore, every effort should be made to prevent infections, especially during this critical period of neurodevelopment. Parents should also be educated about the importance of vaccination and immune modulation in children with autism to avoid further infections.