title: [Detection of viral genomes of the Herpesviridae family in multiple sclerosis patients by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The multiple sclerosis seems to be the junction between genetics alteration and an unknown environmental factor, that they would originate an autoimmune alteration, that they would be the reason of the inflammation and demyelinization responsible of the disease. Our objective has been the determination of this possible environmental factor and to reach it, we have studied the appearance of Herpesviridae family viruses.
  
  
  METHODS
  204 blood samples were studied: 102 from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients (43 were undergoing beta-interferon treatment), and 102 from blood donors with the same age and sex than multiple sclerosis patients. From this samples, we extracted the DNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and we analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the appearance of herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), human herpesvirus 7 and human herpesvirus 8.
  
  
  RESULTS
  a) we only found significative difference (p = 0.0001) in HHV-6: 21.5% donors positive samples (22/102), opposite to 49.02% of positivity in mulytiple sclerosis patients (50/102); b) we didn't found significative differences in none of other viruses studied, between patients treated with beta-interferon and non-treated ones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest us that HHV-6 can play an important role in the multiple sclerosis development. The beta-interferon treatment doesn't affect to DNA prevalence of none of studied viruses.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario San Carlos, Madrid.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cour
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanaan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benedicto
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martín-Estefanía
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arroyo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varela de Seijas
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Picazo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014766:Viremia / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D016899:Interferon-beta