ReviewInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
Association between Viral Infections and Risk of Autistic Disorder: An Overview.
Review in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between human herpesviruses infections and childhood neurodevelopmental disorders: insights from two-sample mendelian randomization analyses and systematic review with meta-analysis.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Behavioural and cognitive behavioural therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Air pollution and autism-like traits: Sensitive periods and joint effects of exposure to sources and constituents of fine particulate matter.Environmental research · 2026Article
- Maternal influenza vaccination during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorder in the offspring.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- Associations of Influenza Illness During Pregnancy with Pregnancy Loss and Program-Defined Child Health Monitoring Indicator: A Matched Cohort Study.Infectious disease reports · 2026Article
- Maternal-infant immune signatures in infants at risk for SARS-CoV-2-associated neurodevelopmental disorders.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Gut-Brain Inflammation and Disrupted Homeostasis Due to Activation of Mast Cells and Microglia.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Autism and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) E6: A Comprehensive Review.Iranian journal of psychiatry · 2026Review
- The role of maternal infections in neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders: focus on the P2X7/NLRP3/IL-1β signalling pathway.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2025Review
- HSV1 glycoprotein D utilizes an LY6-like binding domain to inhibit alpha7 nicotinic receptors.Npj viruses · 2025Article
- Comparison of gut viral communities between autism spectrum disorder and healthy children.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Perinatal and Demographic Risk Factors Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A National Survey of Potential Predictors and Severity.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Viral infections in pregnancy and impact on offspring neurodevelopment: mechanisms and lessons learned.Pediatric research · 2024Review
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnoses and Congenital Cytomegalovirus.Pediatrics · 2024Article
- Silent Infections are not So Silent: The Emerging Role of Combined Infections, Inflammation, and Vitamin Levels in OCD.Clinical neuropsychiatry · 2024Article
- Maternal Influenza and Offspring Neurodevelopment.Current issues in molecular biology · 2024Review
- Microglia and Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis.Advances in neurobiology · 2024Review
- Microbes and Mental Illness: Past, Present, and Future.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Review
- Notes from the Field: Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children with Laboratory Evidence of Prenatal Zika Virus Exposure - Puerto Rico, 2023.MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition of the central nervous system (CNS) that presents with severe communication problems, impairment of social interactions, and stereotypic behaviours. Emerging studies indicate possible associations between viral infections and neurodegenerative and neurobehavioural conditions including autism. Viral infection during critical periods of early in utero neurodevelopment may lead to increased risk of autism in the offspring. This review is aimed at highlighting the association between viral infections, including viruses similar to COVID-19, and the aetiology of autism. A literature search was conducted using Pubmed, Ovid/Medline, and Google Scholar database. Relevant search terms included "rubella and autism", "cytomegalovirus and autism", "influenza virus and autism", "Zika virus and autism", "COVID-19 and autism". Based on the search terms, a total of 141 articles were obtained and studies on infants or children with congenital or perinatal viral infection and autistic behaviour were evaluated. The possible mechanisms by which viral infections could lead to autism include direct teratogenic effects and indirect effects of inflammation or maternal immune activation on the developing brain. Brain imaging studies have shown that the ensuing immune response from these viral infections could lead to disruption of the development of brain regions and structures. Hence, long-term follow up is necessary for infants whose mothers report an inflammatory event due to viral infection at any time during pregnancy to monitor for signs of autism. Research into the role of viral infection in the development of ASD may be one avenue of improving ASD outcomes in the future. Early screening and diagnosis to detect, and maybe even prevent ASD are essential to reduce the burden of this condition.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.