Nipah virus infection as a putative risk factor for Alzheimer's disease: A testable hypothesis.

Nipah virus is a neurotropic paramyxovirus known to cause severe acute encephalitis and delayed or relapsing neurological syndromes. Increasing evidence suggests that both systemic infections and central nervous system inflammation may act as contributors to, or accelerators of, Alzheimer's disease pathology. In this context, we propose that Nipah virus infection may confer long-term susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease through several converging mechanisms, including direct neuronal injury, sustained microglial activation mediated by Ephrin-B2/B3 receptor engagement, and persistent disruption of the blood-brain barrier. Clarifying this potential association would have important implications for long-term post-viral care and the broader infectious-disease framework for neurodegeneration.