VIRAL INFECTIONS IN BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTS: IS JC VIRUS INVOLVED?

Monica Mischitelli (1) , Daniela Fioriti (1) , Elena Anzivino (1) , Anna Bellizzi (1) , Valentina Barucca (1) , Renzo Boldorini (2) , Umberto Miglio (2) , Simona Sica (3) , Federica Sorà (3) , Silvia de Matteis (3) , Fernanda Chiarini (1) , Valeria Pietropaolo (1)

1 Public Health Sciences
2 Medical Sciences
3 Haematology

Haemorrhagic cystitis is characterized by haematuria due to inflammation of the bladder. In bone marrow transplants, this disease is linked to the infection by human polyomavirus BK, whereas the role of the human polyomavirus JC is unclear. The transcriptional control regions of both viruses contain important cellular transcription factor binding sites that undergo rearrangement process generating suitable variants that could be more active for viral replication and for the onset of haemorrhagic cystitis. In this study urine obtained from seven patients with bone marrow transplant were examined. Polyomavirus genomes were quantified by PCR and viral loads were compared. The transcriptional regions of both viruses were amplified and sequenced to determine the presence of variants. Subtypes of polyomaviruses were determined by amplification and sequencing of the viral protein 1 region. The results showed that 4 of 7 patients were positive for BK DNA, 2 of 7 patients had BK and JC DNA and 1 of 7 had JC DNA. Positive samples were amplified and sequenced successively for transcriptional regions. The viral archetype was always found in both viruses. Finally, typing showed that BK virus subtype I infected patients with BK, whereas JC virus genotype IA and genotype 1B were found in patients infected with JC. The data suggest that new and different approaches are required to improve the morbidity and mortality caused by polyoma-associated haemorrhagic cystitis, since it known that BK virus is involved in the onset of haemorrhagic cystitis, whereas the role of JC virus should be investigated further.

Mots clés: Medicine

Monica Mischitelli, Daniela Fioriti, Elena Anzivino, Anna Bellizzi, Valentina Barucca, et al.. VIRAL INFECTIONS IN BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTS: IS JC VIRUS INVOLVED?. Journal of Medical Virology, 2009, 82 (1), pp.138. ⟨10.1002/jmv.21558⟩. ⟨hal-00541146⟩