Viral infections of the autonomic nervous system and its target organs: pathogenetic mechanisms.

The possibility that viruses can infect the peripheral autonomic nervous system (ANS) and cause a variety of acute, chronic or recurrent diseases, including such disorders as peptic ulcer, is proposed. By altering the functional activity of autonomic neurons or by seeding the target organs of these neurons with virus, infection of the ANS may produce a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Whether these manifestations are anatomically circumscribed or widespread will depend upon the route by which autonomic infection is acquired as well as the character of interaction between the virus and the infected autonomic neuron. In addition, it is proposed that autonomic ganglia may serve as reservoirs of latent viruses, insuring their preservation and intermittent transmission in the human community.