Detection of human retrovirus-5 in rheumatoid arthritis patients

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to detect the possible association of human retroviruse-5 [HRV-5] with RA and its correlation with disease activity and severity in a trial to detect its possible role as an etiologic factor. We conducted our study on 31 RA patients and 15 apparently healthy subjects serving as a control group. All patients were subjected to complete history taking, thorough clinical examination, radiological and laboratory tests. Nested PCR was done to detect the presence or absence of HRV-5 in the blood of all patients and controls as well as nine synovial fluid samples from RA patients. There was a significant presence of HRV-5 in the blood of RA patients and in four synovial fluid samples out of nine. The four patients whose synovial fluid samples were HRV-5 positive also showed HRV-5 positive blood. There was a statistically significant higher alkaline phosphatase mean in cases with HRV-5 positive blood, which may reveal Liver damage that might be caused by the virus itself. There was no statistically significant difference in the activity or severity grades in HRV-5 positive blood and synovial fluid compared to HRV-5 negative cases. The presence of HRV-5 in a significant percent in our RA patients [25.8%] should be taken into consideration since it may have a role as an etiologic factor in the pathogenesis of this disease