Adaptive immune responses against parvovirus B19 in patients with myocardial disease.
BACKGROUND
Parvovirus B19 (B19V)-DNA is frequently detected in endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) from patients with acute myocarditis (AMC) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), but also in various healthy tissues. The clinical relevance of this DNA-persistence is unclear.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate potential pathogenic influences of B19V-DNA in EMBs, we analyzed B19V-specific adaptive immune responses in AMC/DCM patients and healthy controls.


METHODS
15 AMC/DCM patients with detectable B19V-DNA in EMBs and 51 controls were analyzed for signs of acute B19V-infections and virus-specific immune responses by PCR, ELISA, Western line, and ELISpot-assays.


RESULTS
Productive B19V-infection was determined in three patients. Slightly lower levels of B19V-specific T-cells were observed in patients as compared to the controls, no differences were observed in virus-specific serology. Viral DNA-load in EMBs could not be correlated to the number of B19V-specific T-cells. No differences in T-cell response, viremia and/or serological markers indicative for viral pathogenesis were observed in patients with inflammatory cardiomyopathy.


CONCLUSIONS
Discrepancies in B19V-specific adaptive immunity were not observed in AMC/DCM patients as compared to controls. The data indicate that the exclusive detection of B19V-DNA in EMBs is not sufficient to associate B19V with AMC/DCM but should be complemented with additional virological and immunological parameters in further studies.
Lindner
Juha
J
Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Regensburg, Germany.
Noutsias
Michel
M
Lassner
Dirk
D
Wenzel
Jürgen
J
Schultheiss
Heinz-Peter
HP
Kuehl
Uwe
U
Modrow
Susanne
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D015153:Blotting, Western; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D019562:Viral Load
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M