Early Inflammatory Responses Direct Chronic Autoimmunity Development in the Heart Following Coxsackievirus Infection

Coxsackievirus infections are a major cause of chronic autoimmune myocarditis, a known precursor to dilated cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy leads to heart failure and is responsible for nearly half of all heart transplant cases. The induction of chronic autoimmunity following coxsackievirus infection is governed by the interplay of several genetic and immunological factors. In this review, we will focus on how the innate immune response to viral infection directs a cascade of events that ultimately results in chronic autoimmune heart disease.