High Frequency of Human Herpesvirus 6 DNA in Multiple Sclerosis Plaques Isolated by Laser Microdissection

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http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JID/journal/issues/v187n9/20943/brief/20943.abstract.html

The Journal of Infectious Diseases    2003;187:1377-1387
© 2003 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.
0022-1899/2003/18709-0004$15.00

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MAJOR ARTICLE

High Frequency of Human Herpesvirus 6 DNA in Multiple Sclerosis Plaques Isolated by Laser Microdissection

Claudio Cermelli,1,5 Rossana Berti,1,3 Samantha S. Soldan,1,4,a Michael Mayne,1,6 James M. D'ambrosia,2 Samuel K. Ludwin,1,7 and Steven Jacobson1

1Neuroimmunology Branch and 2Biostatistics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, and 3Department of Neuropharmacology and Molecular Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland; 4Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Department of Genetics, George Washington University, Washington, DC; 5Department of Hygiene, Microbiology, and Biostatistics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; 6Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, and 7Department of Pathology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

 

Received 7 August 2002; accepted 2 December 2002; electronically published 9 April 2003.

The frequency of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) DNA was assessed in autopsy material from multiple sclerosis (MS) plaques and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) from brains of persons with MS, healthy brains, and brains of persons with other neurologic diseases. Specific areas from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded brain tissue samples were isolated by laser microscope. DNA was extracted from laser microdissected brain material, and HHV-6 genomic sequences were amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction. We analyzed 44 NAWM samples and 64 MS plaques from 13 patients with MS, 46 samples from 13 patients with non-MS neurologic disorders, and 41 samples from 12 healthy control brains. Of the 44 NAWM samples, 7 (15.9%) were positive for HHV-6 DNA sequences, versus 37 (57.8%) of 64 MS plaques (P < .0005). HHV-6 DNA was detected in 10 (21.7%) of 46 samples from patients with non-MS neurologic disorders and in 11 (26.8%) of 41 samples from patients without known neurologic disease. Although the frequency of HHV-6 DNA did not differ significantly by sample type, HHV-6 DNA was significantly more common in MS plaques, suggesting that HHV-6 may play a role in MS pathogenesis.

 


     Presented in part: 4th International Conference on Herpesviruses 6, 7, and 8, Paris, 10–12 May 2001 (abstract O22).
     Informed consent was obtained from patients or their parents/guardians, and human experimentation guidelines of the US Department of Health and Human Services were followed.
     Financial support: Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Carpi (to C.C.).
     a Present affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

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