Background: Collapsing glomerulopathy may occur in an idiopathic (primary) form and in association with a wide spectrum of infectious and inflammatory conditions and medications. The association of collapsing glomerulopathy with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection is well established; less certain is the association with other viral infections.
Methods: We searched PubMed for articles in all languages that addressed glomerulopathies associated with parvovirus B19, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and simian virus 40 (SV40).
Results: Case reports and small-case series link infection with these common viruses and glomerular injury. The evidence for a pathogenic role is generally stronger for glomerulonephritis than for collapsing glomerulopathy.
Conclusions: The evidence linking collapsing glomerulopathy with CMV is relatively strong but not yet conclusive, while the evidence for a pathogenic role for EBV and parvovirus B19 is weaker.
Keywords: Epstein-Barr virus; collapsing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis; cytomegalovirus; parvovirus B19; podocyte.