A recent study published in JCI Insight identifies human pegivirus (HPgV), an RNA virus from the flavivirus family, in the brains of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, absent in control samples. Researchers discovered that HPgV infection correlates with disrupted immune signaling and gene expression, affected by LRRK2 genotype. Key findings indicated HPgV RNA and proteins were present in affected patients' brains and cerebrospinal fluid, with specific biomarkers linked to neurotransmission and immune responses varying per genotype. This suggests HPgV may influence PD progression and warrants further investigation.

Source: JCI Insight