Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Symposium 06

A new approach for JC virus detection and its application for PML diagnosis

Kazuo Nakamichi, Ph.D.1), Chang-Kweng Lim, D.V.M., Ph.D.1) and Masayuki Saijo, M.D., Ph.D.1)

1)Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare but fatal demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by JC virus (JCV). The current diagnostic standard for PML is real-time PCR testing of extracted DNA for assessing the presence of JCV DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, because of its sensitivity, real-time PCR assay for JCV testing has a risk of false-positive results due to DNA contamination. JCV isolates recovered from the brain or CSF of PML patients contain hypervariable mutations within the non-coding control region (NCCR) of the viral genome. In our laboratory, the high-resolution melting (HRM) assay was developed to distinguish the patient-dependent NCCR patterns of JCV DNA variants in clinical specimens. The HRM-based scanning of NCCR serves as a quick and convenient technique for comparing the mutational patterns of JCV variants in clinical samples and for the confirmation of PML diagnosis when combined with routine real-time PCR testing.
Full Text of this Article in Japanese PDF (237K)

(CLINICA NEUROL, 54: 1028|1030, 2014)
key words: progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, JC virus, real-time PCR, High-Resolution Melting analysis

(Received: 21-May-14)