title: Borna disease virus RNA in immunocompromised patients in southwestern France.
abstract: Borna disease virus (BDV) is a neurotropic RNA virus with a wide host range. Human infections, although controversial, have been described in Europe, Asia, and the United States. The present study investigated the existence of BDV infections in immunocompromised human beings, namely, 82 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and 80 therapeutically immunosuppressed patients. BDV p40 RNAs were detected in peripheral white blood cells with reverse transcription-nested PCR and hybridization in, respectively, 11 (13.41%) and 1 (1.25%) of the two groups of patients. BDV p24 RNAs were identified in only one of those. BDV RNA was detected in the absence of any neuropsychiatrical illness, suggesting that BDV infections may occur in asymptomatic carriers. The severity and particularity of cellular immunosuppression could explain the significantly increased detection of BDV RNA in HIV-infected patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Virologie, Université Bordeaux 2, and Centre Hospitalier Régional de Bordeaux, France. emmanuelle.cotto@viro.u-bordeaux2.fr
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cotto
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neau
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cransac-Neau
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Auriacombe
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pellegrin
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ragnaud
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fillet
authors.forename: Magali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belnard
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fleury
authors.forename: Marie-Edith
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lafon
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001890:Borna Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D001891:Borna disease virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017931:DNA Primers; D005602:France; D005843:Geography; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012367:RNA, Viral