Infectious myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy

The pathogenesis and clinical course of infectious myocarditis are the result of a delicate interaction between microorganism and host, Under certain conditions coxsackieviruses may mutate in the host, resulting in aggravated myocarditis or dilated cardiomyopathy, Genomic sites coding for cardiovirulence have been suggested to be located in the 5'-non-translated region, and organism-coded epitopes may launch an autoimmune attack through 'molecular mimicry', Slowly growing bacteria, which were previously difficult to diagnose, have emerged as 'new' causes of myocarditis.