Reverse transcription PCR assays for detection of borna disease virus in psychiatric patients

ABSTRACT

Borna disease virus [BDV] is a virus that naturally infects the central nervous system [CNS] of broad range of warm-blooded animals. BDV is an enveloped virus, non- segmented, negativestranded RNA genome and has an organization characteristic of a member of Bornaviridae. It may persists in the central nervous system [CNS] of infected individuals for their entire life span. In the present work the presence of BDV p24 RNA in peripheral blood cells was detected from 37 psychiatric patients [15 patients diagnosed as schizophrenia, 10 as Major depressive disorder and 12 as mood disorder bipolar I most recent episode mania]. Patients were selected from the outpatient as well as the inpatient units of Psychiatric Department in Mansoura University hospital and 37 healthy volunteers as the control group. All subjects were interviewed by structured diagnostic criteria categorized according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV. The presence of BDV p24 RNA was investigated by nested reverse transcriptase PCR [RT-PCR] using specific primers to p24 from BDV. The median duration of illness was 6, 4 and 10 years in depressive disorder, mood disorder and schizophrenia respectively. The mean age was 40.7, 30.1 and 36.1 in depressive disorder, mood disorder and schizophrenia respectively. There were no significant differences in age and duration of illness among patients groups with psychotic disorders in the presence or absence of p24 RNA of BDV. Frequency of BDV- RNA on patient's groups was 10.8% [4/37]. The detection of BDV-RNA in the peripheral blood cells of patients but not on control group should help our understanding of the pathogenesis in the disease