Infectious Agents and Stroke: A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION: A major cause of injury and the second cause of death worldwide is stroke. Among several infectious agents considered as the risk factor of stroke, some pathogens demonstrated stronger robust associations with stroke. Proposing an accurate correlation between infectious microorganisms and stroke provides valuable information for early intervention and control of the infections. METHODS: In this study, we searched the literature using the Web of Science, PMC/Medline via PubMed, and Scopus databases up to July 2018 without time and language restrictions. After quality assessment, 16 articles were included in the study. The whole data extraction process was independently conducted by two reviewers. RESULTS: Based on the results of the studies, viruses, such as Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1, 2 (HSV-1, 2), Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV or Chickenpox), and West Nile virus (WNV) seem to be common causes of ischemic stroke. Moreover, the association of other microbial categories, such as Streptococcus mutans (in bacteria), Toxocara spp. and Toxoplasma gondii (in parasites), and Rhizopus sp. (in fungi) with stroke was reported. CONCLUSION: Considering the adverse role of the above-mentioned microorganisms, it is necessary to implement some preventive measures for stroke treatment.