Coxsackie B virus infection and myocardial infarction

This prospective study aimed at finding relation between coxsackie B virus [CBV] infection and myocardial infarction [MI]. This study was carried out for 12 months to cover at least one whole epidemiologic year. Fifty patients [44 males and 6 females] were studied. 30 were diagnosed as MI and 12 were diagnosed as having arrhythmias without MI. All of them were admitted to the CCU of Assiut University Hospital, 20 Normal age matched control subjects, were also studied. Two serum samples acute and convalescent were taken from all patients and only one from the controls. All samples were tested for the presence of the six serotypes of CBV antibodies by the neutralizing complement fixing test to find the relationship between CBV infection and MI. 16 patients [32%] showed a positive test for CBV antibodies. Non of the controls was positive the highest number of infarction occurred at age range 40-60 years, as well as the highest number of positive serology; 13 of 16 patients [81%] were positive for CBV antibodies of whom 10 cases [63%] were positive for B3, B5 and B6 5 cases for B1 [31.5%] and 2 cases [12.3%] for B2. More than one serotype was positive in 10 cases