Biochemistry Research Laboratory, Central India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, India.
Intervirology. 2014;57(1):1-7. doi: 10.1159/000351521. Epub 2013 Aug 24.
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.
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.
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.
人类疱疹病毒可导致成人和儿童的中枢神经系统和周围神经系统出现各种急性、亚急性和慢性疾病。本研究的目的是总结过去 4 年在印度那格浦尔的一家神经学研究所，通过定量实时聚合酶链反应（qPCR）检测疱疹单纯脑炎（HSE）患儿和成人中枢神经系统病毒载量的经验。
对 242 例脑脊液（CSF）样本进行回顾性 qPCR 检测。评估 HSV 在 CSF 中的 DNA 浓度与患者临床表现和实验室检查结果之间的可能关系。还使用型特异性实时 PCR 分析确定研究人群中 HSV 的流行类型。
使用型特异性引物的实时分析显示，研究人群中主要存在 HSV-1 基因型。qPCR 结果表明，在 CSF 病毒载量较高的患者中，有更多的病例与 CT/MRI 扫描显示的脑损伤有关。与 CSF 病毒载量较低的患者相比，他们需要更长期的阿昔洛韦治疗，且临床结局更差。
