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Immunosuppression increases JC polyomavirus large T antigen DNA load in the brains of patients without progressive

Julianne Bayliss1, Tanja Karasoulos, Catriona A McLean

  • 1Department of Medicine, Monash University, Seven, Alfred Centre, Alfred Hospital, Commercial Rd, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia. julianne.bayliss@monash.edu

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|November 1, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Latent JC polyomavirus (JCV) brain infection is more prevalent in immunosuppressed individuals. Higher JCV DNA in kidneys correlates with higher brain JCV, suggesting a link to progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) pathogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Neurovirology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • The link between latent JC polyomavirus (JCV) infection and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is not fully understood.
  • JCV is a common human polyomavirus, typically latent, but can cause severe neurological disease in immunocompromised individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and load of latent JCV DNA in brain and kidney tissues of patients without PML.
  • To explore the relationship between JCV DNA levels, immune status (HIV, CD4+ T-cell counts), and tissue location.

Main Methods:

  • Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to detect and quantify JCV DNA.
  • Brain and kidney tissues from patients without PML were analyzed.
  • Statistical analyses, including correlation and comparison tests, were performed.

Main Results:

  • Immunosuppressed patients exhibited significantly higher JCV DNA levels in brain tissue compared to immunocompetent patients (P = .001).
  • In HIV-infected patients, lower CD4+ T-cell counts were inversely associated with brain JCV load (r(2) = -0.9; P = .01).
  • A strong positive correlation was found between JCV DNA loads in kidney and brain tissues (Spearman ρ = 0.65; P = .004).

Conclusions:

  • Latent JCV brain infection is significant in the context of immunosuppression.
  • Kidney JCV load may serve as an indicator for JCV presence in the brain.
  • These findings underscore the importance of latent JCV brain infection in the pathogenesis of PML.

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