J Korean Pediatr Soc.  2000 Sep;43(9):1180-1186.

Detection of Herpes Viral DNA in Peripheral Blood of Kawasaki Disease Patient by Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction

• Kim HS

Abstract

PURPOSE: Epidemiologic evidence suggests an infectious cause for Kawasaki disease(KD), but the etiology of KD remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether viral infections are related in the pathogenesis of KD by detecting viral genomes using nested polymerase chain reaction.
METHODS
Peripheral blood was obtained from 18 acute KD patients before administration of intravenous gamma globuline and 11 age-matched control patients. DNA extraction from whole blood was performed using proteinase K and phenol. The primer sequences were derived frorn UL-42 for herpes simplex virus type 1(HSV-1), US-4 for herpes simplex virus type 2(HSV-2), major IE for cytornegalovirus(CMV) and IR1 for Epstein-Barr virus(EBV). Two successive PCR were performed, and the PCR products were detected by agarose gel electrophoresis.
RESULTS
HSV-1-PCR was negative in both groups and HSV-2-PCR was positive in 2 of 17 of the KD group. CMV-PCR was positive in 1 of 11 in the control group and all negative in the KD group. EBV-PCR was positive in 7 of 18(39%) of the KD group and in 2 of 11(18%) of the control group. EBVCA-IgM was negative in all 5 EBV-PCR positive patients, but EBVCA-IgG, EBNA and EBEA was positive in 1 EBV-PCR positive patient.
CONCLUSION
This study suggests that an unusual EBV-cell interaction may exist in Kawasaki disease.

Keyword

Kawasaki disease; Polymerase chain reaction; Epstein-Barr virus

MeSH Terms

DNA
DNA, Viral*
Electrophoresis, Agar Gel
Endopeptidase K
gamma-Globulins
Genome, Viral
Herpesvirus 4, Human
Humans
Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome*
Phenol
Polymerase Chain Reaction*
Simplexvirus
DNA
DNA, Viral
Endopeptidase K
Phenol
gamma-Globulins