REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Viral Immunology
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring Antiviral Immune Responses and Therapeutic Strategies Against Human CoronavirusesView all 11 articles
MIS-C Pathogenesis: Immune Dysregulation & Viral Triggers
Provisionally accepted
Tian tian Xu1Jia min Zhang2Xiang yuan Hou2Xin yu Xie2
Junye Qi1Chang bing Wang2Yu qing Yan2Lu Kuang1
Bing Zhu1*- 1Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 2Guangzhou Medical University, Guang zhou, China
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Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a serious condition emerging during the COVID-19 pandemic, strongly associated with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Characterized by systemic inflammation affecting multiple organs, MIS-C presents a complex clinical picture including fever, gastrointestinal distress, cardiac dysfunction, and neurological manifestations. Although its exact pathogenesis remains incompletely understood, immune dysregulation is recognized as a central mechanism. This review examines current understanding of MIS-C pathogenesis, focusing on immune dysfunction and viral triggers, particularly SARS-CoV-2. We analyze both innate and adaptive immune responses, cytokine storm dynamics, molecular mimicry, and virus-induced inflammatory cascades. Additionally, we discuss potential immunomodulatory therapeutic strategies and identify future research directions to improve MIS-C management and treatment outcomes.
Keywords: Children, MIS-C, Immune dysregulation, viral triggers, SARS-CoV-2
Received: 08 May 2025; Accepted: 12 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Zhang, Hou, Xie, Qi, Wang, Yan, Kuang and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Bing Zhu, zhubing0327@hotmail.com
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