Individual tissues have distinct antiviral properties garnered through various mechanisms, including physical characteristics, tissue-resident immune cells and commensal organisms. Although the oral mucosa has long been appreciated as a critical barrier tissue that is exposed to a continuous barrage of pathogens, many fundamental aspects of the antiviral immune response in this tissue remain unknown. Several viral pathogens, such as herpesviruses and human papillomaviruses, have been acknowledged both historically and at present for infections in the oral cavity that result in substantial clinical burden. However, recent viral outbreaks, including those with SARS-CoV-2 and mpox, featured oral symptoms even though these viruses are not generally considered oral pathogens. Ensuing studies have shown that the oral cavity is an important locale for viral infection and potential transmission of newly emergent or re-emergent pathogens, highlighting the need for an increased understanding of the mechanisms of antiviral immunity at this site. In this Review, we provide a broad overview of antiviral immune responses in the oral cavity and discuss common viral infections and their manifestations in the oral mucosa. In addition, we present current mouse models for the study of oral viral infections.

单个组织具有通过各种机制获得的不同抗病毒特性，包括物理特性、组织驻留免疫细胞和共生生物。尽管口腔粘膜长期以来一直被认为是暴露于连续病原体攻击的关键屏障组织，但该组织中抗病毒免疫反应的许多基本方面仍然未知。几种病毒病原体，如疱疹病毒和人瘤病毒，在历史上和现在都被认为是导致巨大临床负担的口腔感染。然而，最近的病毒爆发，包括 SARS-CoV-2 和 mpox 的病毒爆发，以口腔症状为特征，即使这些病毒通常不被认为是口腔病原体。随后的研究表明，口腔是病毒感染和新出现或重新出现的病原体可能传播的重要场所，这突出表明需要更深入地了解该部位的抗病毒免疫机制。在本综述中，我们提供了口腔抗病毒免疫反应的广泛概述，并讨论了常见的病毒感染及其在口腔粘膜中的表现。此外，我们还提出了用于研究口腔病毒感染的当前小鼠模型。