title: Usefulness of a comprehensive PCR-based assay for human herpes viral DNA in blood mononuclear cell samples.
abstract: Human herpes virus (HHV) is well known to reactivate in immunocompromised situations and plays an immunomodulatory role leading to indirect effects through viral replication to the host. The aim of this study was to determine the laboratory and clinical relevance of a comprehensive PCR-based assay for detecting eight HHVs, which are lymphotropic and cause disease in humans. Using 176 samples collected from 146 specimens of peripheral blood, 12 skin nodules, 11 lymph nodes and 7 others of patients who were suspected to have adult T cell leukemia (ATL), the PCR-based assay was validated to simultaneously detect one or more herpes viral DNA with two consensus primer sets. Although most samples were seropositive for either of the HHVs, only 50% of them were positive for either herpes viral DNA with EBV in 76%, HHV-6 in 14% and VZV in 9%. Furthermore, such a herpes viral DNA positive status was not always associated with clinical symptoms relating to the virus, implying active replication in the blood cells, but being asymptomatic. HHV-8 viral DNA, although Kaposi's sarcoma has been reported to be complicated with ATL, was not demonstrable. HHV-6B was detected only in HTLV-1 healthy carriers and ATL patients, and may imply a co-factor role with HTLV-1. This PCR-based assay provides a herpes viral infectious status compensatory for virus-serology and is a clinically relevant laboratory test, serving as a screening marker for active infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and Central Diagnostic, Laboratory, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugahara
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uemura
authors.forename: Norihiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akamatsu
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirakata
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Shimeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamihira
mesh_terms: D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000235:genetics; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral