Adenovirus association with graft versus host disease in paediatric bone marrow transplantation recipients

Background: Adenovirus [Ad] infections have delayed clearance in paediatric patients. The immune suppression that occurs after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation [HSCT] can reactivate adenovirus, resulting in life-threatening disseminated disease

Aim of the work: to assess adenovirus infection in recipients of bone marrow transplantation and to find out if there is an association between adenovirus infection and the occurrence of graft versus host disease [GVHD] in these patients

Patients and methods: The study was conducted on 30 pediatric patients admitted to Nasser institute, for bone marrow transplantation. Serum and stool samples were collected one day prior to bone marrow transplantation, and every one or two weeks afterwards till the patient completed 100 days after HSCT. The adenoviral DNA was monitored in the patient's serum and stool samples by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction [qPCR]. The stool samples that tested positive for the presence of adenovirus were processed by cell culture technique for isolation of the virus

Results: Adenoviral DNA was detected in the fecal samples of 11 out of 30 patients [36.6% of cases]; the viral load ranged from 1.2 X 10[³] copies/gram, to 8.4 X 10[7] copies per gram, two patients had 2 positive stool samples with rising titer indicating the reactivation of the adenovirus. The adenoviral DNA was detected in the serum samples of only two patients [6.6% of cases], with a low titer, one of them was only 500 copies/ml and the other one was 1.6 X 10[4] copies /ml. The remaining serum samples of the patients who shed the adenovirus in their stool were all negative for adenoviral DNA. These two patients, who had Ad DNA in their serum, had no adenoviral shedding in their stool. The adenovirus reactivation was not associated with increased risk of developing GVHD, diarrhea or CMV reactivation

Conclusion: although the adenovirus was shed in the stool of 9 patients, the viral shedding was not associated with increased risk of developing GVHD, diarrhea or CMV reactivation

Cytotoxic t lymphocyte activity in C3H mice hyperimmunized with quarnfil virus

The cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity in C3H mice hyperimmunized with quaranfil virus [QRF-V] was investigated. Mice primed with QRF-V developed moderate cytotoxic activity mediated by spleen cytotoxic T lymphocytes C3H mice have a higher adaptive protective immune response to QRF-V than Swiss albino mice

Screening of non-Hodgkin's tissues for Epstein-Barr and cytomegalovirus antigens

Forty-five biopsies of nodal NHL were examined for EBV and CMV antigens [two members of the herpes virus group]. Paraffin embedded sections were used for indirect immunoperoxidase antibody staining using reference antisera to the two viruses, one was a human IgG anti EBV capsid antigen [EBVCA] and the other was a mouse monoclonal Ig anti CMV. Microscopic diagnosis was 30 non-Burkitt's lymphoma and 15 Burkitt's lymphoma, EVBCA and CMV antigens were detected in 2/15, 6/15 Burkitt's lymphoma respectively. Non-Burkitt's lymphoma were positive for EBVCA and CMV antigens in 3/30, 7/30 respectively. While, B lymphocytes support EBV replication the viral antigens are detected only when viral permissive replication occurs. Lack of detection of EBV antigens in 13/15 Burkitt's lymphoma is not against an etiological association with the virus. The stage of malignancy succeeds the initial viral infection and is a result of multitactors. Detection of CMV antigen in malignant lymphoma is a measure of immune suppression with reactivation of latent CMV virus. So far, there is no evidence that CMV is an etiological factor in lymphoma