Intensive care unit (ICU) patients belong to one of the most vulnerable groups of patients because of their severity of illness, which predisposes them to an increased risk of acquiring nosocomial infections and might lead to life-threatening health conditions. Extensive diagnostic procedures, such as common blood tests and other pathology tests, are very common in the ICU, as well as antibiotic therapies for the empirical and/or targeted treatment of infectious diseases.
Most clinicians have the general tendency to focus mainly on bacterial infections. However, the attributable burden and clinical interpretation of other microbiological pathogens in this setting, including viruses, remain largely unknown. With the exception of respiratory tract infections caused by the influenza virus and its distinct association with respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and bacterial superinfections, the role of other respiratory viruses in ICU patients is still debatable. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence in scientific literature that supports the causative association between herpes virus reactivation (i.e., viremia or reactivation in particular organs such as lungs or intestines) and increased morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, risk stratification within ICU patients, that are known to be very heterogeneous, is essential to identify those, both adults and children, that may benefit from the adequate detection of viruses and subsequent therapeutic interventions in an intensive care setting.
Overall, this Research Topic aims to collect updates about viral infections in the ICU, including viral respiratory tract infections and systemic reactivation of viruses. We welcome Original Research, Mini-Review and Review manuscripts that deal with all aspects of viruses in this specific group of patients.
Intensive care unit (ICU) patients belong to one of the most vulnerable groups of patients because of their severity of illness, which predisposes them to an increased risk of acquiring nosocomial infections and might lead to life-threatening health conditions. Extensive diagnostic procedures, such as common blood tests and other pathology tests, are very common in the ICU, as well as antibiotic therapies for the empirical and/or targeted treatment of infectious diseases.
Most clinicians have the general tendency to focus mainly on bacterial infections. However, the attributable burden and clinical interpretation of other microbiological pathogens in this setting, including viruses, remain largely unknown. With the exception of respiratory tract infections caused by the influenza virus and its distinct association with respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and bacterial superinfections, the role of other respiratory viruses in ICU patients is still debatable. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence in scientific literature that supports the causative association between herpes virus reactivation (i.e., viremia or reactivation in particular organs such as lungs or intestines) and increased morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, risk stratification within ICU patients, that are known to be very heterogeneous, is essential to identify those, both adults and children, that may benefit from the adequate detection of viruses and subsequent therapeutic interventions in an intensive care setting.
Overall, this Research Topic aims to collect updates about viral infections in the ICU, including viral respiratory tract infections and systemic reactivation of viruses. We welcome Original Research, Mini-Review and Review manuscripts that deal with all aspects of viruses in this specific group of patients.
