title: Lack of the detection of XMRV or polytropic MLV-related sequences in blood cells from HIV-1-infected patients in Spain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and polytropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus are recently described human gammaretroviruses that have been associated with prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome. These studies have been controversial because a number of laboratories have been unable to find evidence of XMRV in similar groups of patients or controls. Because the existence of XMRV raises many questions, we decided to study its presence in a group of patients infected with HIV-1 with a high proportion of intravenous drug use and coinfection by hepatitis C virus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty HIV-1-infected patients under follow-up in our institution were screened for XMRV/MLV by nested polymerase chain reaction using primers targeting the gag and env region. Specific primers for mouse mitochondrial DNA were used to rule out contamination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No evidence of XMRV or polytropic MLV-related sequences was found in any sample from patients or controls. Four samples yielded polymerase chain reaction bands whose sequence corresponded to murine endogenous retroviral sequences, however, contamination with mouse cell DNA was subsequently confirmed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  XMRV/MLV viruses do not seem to be associated with HIV-1 infection or intravenous drug use. Contamination of samples or reagents by genomic murine DNA or XMRV vectors could account for the sporadic detection of positive samples for XMRV and related agents.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación i+12, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luczkowiak
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martínez-Prats
authors.forename: Olalla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sierra
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fiorante
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pulido
authors.forename: Joaquin R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Otero
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delgado
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000821:virology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D009052:Leukemia Virus, Murine / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D051379:Mice; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D013030:Spain; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D058008:Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral