Related Experiment Videos
Detection of enteroviruses in endomyocardial biopsy by molecular approach
J Petitjean1, H Kopecka, F Freymuth
1Laboratoire de Virologie, CHRU Caen, France.
Abstract:
Enteroviruses are considered to be the most common agents implicated in myocarditis and cardiomyopathy. Recent studies have suggested persistent enterovirus infection in chronic disease showing the presence of enteroviral RNA in the myocardium. We used gene amplification by PCR which can demonstrate directly the presence of enteroviral sequences in endomyocardial biopsies. The primers were chosen in the 5' non-coding region of the genome representing highly conserved sequences among enteroviruses and therefore allowed the amplification of the majority of enteroviruses. The hybridization of the amplified products was effected with specific general riboprobe derived from 5' non-coding sequences internal of the amplified fragments. The results include 105 patients distributed in 6 groups: 45 idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathies with 66.7%, 17 alcoholic cardiomyopathies with 52.9%, 10 myocarditis with 30%, 5 multifactorial cardiomyopathies with 40%, 5 patients with immunosuppressive therapy with 100%, and 23 control group without viral etiology with 39.1% positive samples. The study suggested a positive link between viral infection and cardiomyopathies, but did not allow a direct relation between enterovirus infection and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy to be established.
Insights
Enteroviruses are common causes of myocarditis and cardiomyopathy. This study detected enteroviral RNA in heart biopsies, suggesting a link between viral infection and heart muscle diseases.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Enteroviruses are frequently linked to myocarditis and cardiomyopathy.
- Persistent enterovirus infection is suspected in chronic heart conditions, with viral RNA found in the myocardium.
- Gene amplification techniques offer direct detection of enteroviral sequences in cardiac tissue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence of enteroviral sequences in endomyocardial biopsies from patients with various cardiomyopathies and myocarditis.
- To establish a potential correlation between enteroviral infection and the development of heart muscle diseases.
- To determine if enteroviral infection is directly associated with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
Main Methods:
- Utilized polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers targeting conserved 5' non-coding regions of the enterovirus genome for broad detection.
- Employed hybridization with a specific riboprobe derived from internal 5' non-coding sequences to confirm amplified products.
- Analyzed endomyocardial biopsy samples from 105 patients across six groups: idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, multifactorial cardiomyopathy, immunosuppressive therapy, and a control group.
Main Results:
- Enteroviral RNA was detected in a significant percentage of patients across different cardiomyopathy groups, including 66.7% in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathies and 52.9% in alcoholic cardiomyopathies.
- The highest detection rate (100%) was observed in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy.
- A notable 39.1% of the control group also showed positive results, indicating potential challenges in establishing direct causality.
Conclusions:
- The study suggests a positive association between viral infections and cardiomyopathies.
- While enteroviruses are implicated, a direct causal link between enterovirus infection and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy could not be definitively established.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise role of enteroviruses in the pathogenesis of specific cardiac conditions.