ABSTRACT
Objectives Human JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) infection has an increased risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Different JCPyV subtypes differ in the virulence with which they cause PML. Currently, the JCPyV infection status and subtype distribution in patients with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in China are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology and subtype distribution of JCPyV in HIV-1-infected patients in China. Methods Urine samples from 137 HIV-1-infected patients in Zhejiang Province in China were tested for the presence of JCPyV DNA. The detected VP1 sequences were aligned and analysed using BioEdit and MEGA software. Results Among urine samples from HIV-1-infected patients, 67.2% were positive for JCPyV DNA (92/137). Primarily, the type 7 strains of JCPyV were detected, among which 45.5% (15/33) were subtype 7A, 30.3% (10/33) were 7B, and 24.2% (8/33) were 7C. Six nucleotide mutations, as well as one amino acid substitution, were isolated from the patients. Conclusions Urine samples from HIV-1-infected patients from Zhejiang Province show a high JCPyV infection rate. The most common JCPyV strains are subtypes 7A, 7B, and 7C.
Subject(s)
Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use , DNA, Viral/genetics , HIV Infections/drug therapy , JC Virus/genetics , Polymorphism, Genetic , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Amino Acid Substitution , Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active , China , Cohort Studies , Coinfection , DNA, Viral/urine , Female , Genotype , HIV Infections/ethnology , HIV Infections/urine , HIV Infections/virology , HIV-1/drug effects , HIV-1/growth & development , Humans , JC Virus/classification , JC Virus/isolation & purification , Leukoencephalopathy, Progressive Multifocal/diagnosis , Leukoencephalopathy, Progressive Multifocal/ethnology , Leukoencephalopathy, Progressive Multifocal/urine , Leukoencephalopathy, Progressive Multifocal/virology , Male , Middle Aged , Molecular Typing , Polyomavirus Infections/diagnosis , Polyomavirus Infections/ethnology , Polyomavirus Infections/urine , Polyomavirus Infections/virologyABSTRACT
Two features of the biology of JC virus make it a particularly suitable candidate for an agent in MS-like disease: its neurotropic capability targeting glial cells as evidenced in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy lesions, and its capacity for latency and persistence as illustrated by its behaviour in the kidney. JC virus is chronically or intermittently excreted in the urine by some 40% of the population. The existence of JC virus in multiple coding-region genotypes provides a unique approach to the study of JC virus-induced neurological disease. We have previously shown that a genotype originating in Asia but also present in Europe and the US, called Type 2B, is more frequently found in PML brain than expected based on its prevalence in urine samples from a control population. In contrast, we find that the excretion of JCV in MS patients is similar in both genotype and frequency to that of control individuals, and appears to be regulated by factors unrelated to those that control CNS disease activity.
