title: Determination of viral load by quantitative real-time PCR in herpes simplex encephalitis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human herpesviruses cause various acute, subacute, and chronic disorders of the central nervous system and peripheral nervous systems in adults and children. The objective of the present study is to summarize the experience gained with the estimation of viral load in the central nervous system of children and adults with herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) admitted to a neurological institute at Nagpur, India, by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay within the past 4 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The qPCR assay was evaluated retrospectively in 242 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients. Evaluation of possible relationships was done between the herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA concentration in CSF with that of patients' clinical and laboratory manifestations. The prevalence of the type of HSV in the study population was also determined using type-specific real-time PCR analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Real-time analysis using type-specific primers revealed the presence of predominantly HSV-1 genotype in the study population. The qPCR results show that in patients with higher viral loads in their CSF, a greater number of cases were associated with the presence of lesions in the brain as revealed by computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging scan. They required acyclovir therapy for a longer duration and had a poorer clinical outcome than the patients with lower viral loads in their CSF.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Research Laboratory, Central India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, India.
authors.forename: Shradha S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bhullar
authors.forename: Nitin H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Chandak
authors.forename: Hemant J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Purohit
authors.forename: Girdhar M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Taori
authors.forename: Hatim F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Daginawala
authors.forename: Rajpal S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Kashyap
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000821:virology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020803:Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000212:Acyclovir