title: Absence of human cytomegalovirus infection in childhood brain tumors.
abstract: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a common human pathogen which induces different clinical manifestations related to the age and the immune conditions of the host. HCMV infection seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of adult glioblastomas. The aim of our study was to detect the presence of HCMV in high grade gliomas and other pediatric brain tumors. This hypothesis might have important therapeutic implications, offering a new target for adjuvant therapies. Among 106 pediatric patients affected by CNS tumors we selected 27 patients with a positive HCMV serology. The serological analysis revealed 7 patients with positive HCMV IGG (≥14 U/mL), whom had also a high HCMV IgG avidity, suggesting a more than 6 months-dated infection. Furthermore, HCMV IGM were positive (≥22 U/mL) in 20 patients. Molecular and immunohistochemical analyses were performed in all the 27 samples. Despite a positive HCMV serology, confirmed by ELISA, no viral DNA was shown at the PCR analysis in the patients' neoplastic cells. At immunohistochemistry, no expression of HCMV antigens was observed in tumoral cells. Our results are in agreement with recent results in adults which did not evidence the presence of HCMV genome in glioblastoma lesions. We did not find any correlation between HCMV infection and pediatric CNS tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Neuro-oncology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital and Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Iacopo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Neuro-oncology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital and Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lucchesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Neuro-oncology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital and Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becciani
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Neuro-oncology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital and Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Ludovica
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Facchini
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Neuro-oncology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital and Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guidi
authors.affiliation: Pathology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Buccoliero
authors.affiliation: Immunology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moriondo
authors.affiliation: Pathology Unit, Careggi Hospital Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baroni
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Neuro-oncology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital and Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stival
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Neuro-oncology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital and Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Genitori
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Neuro-oncology Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital and Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Martino
keywords: CNS tumors; Human cytomegalovirus; brain tumors; pediatric neuro-oncology; viral infection