Viral Disease and the Salivary Glands

Viruses are tiny microscopic germs consisting of genetic material surrounded by a coating of protein. They replicate by using the machinery and metabolism of a host cell, and form thousands of copies that lead to cell death with lysis of the cell membrane. The lysis allows for viral release and the ability to infect other cells. Numerous diseases have viral origins, two of which involve the salivary glands, mumps (epidemic parotitis) and HIV/AIDS. Mumps can occur systemically in all age groups, but is usually seen in the 5–9 year age category when painful bilateral parotid gland swellings develop. A subgroup of HIV/AIDS, patients with the diffuse infiltrative lymphocytosis syndrome, can demonstrate salivary gland involvement with the onset of lymphoepithelial cysts that involve the parotid gland, usually bilaterally.