2Cardiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India.
Abstracts of the papers presented at the International Conference of Indian Virological Society on “Emerging and Re-emerging viral Diseases of the Tropics and Subtropics” at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India, December 11–14, 2007.
For many years, enteroviral infections of the heart have been considered to be the most common cause of acute viral myocarditis leading to dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM). Recently, studies have have indicated the association of adeno virus, parvovorus B19 (PV B19), and human herpes viruses in DCM. The present study analyzed the presence of viral genome along with immunohistochemical markers in post mortem cardiac tissues of dilated cardiomyopathy cases. Formalin fixed cardiac tissues were collected during autopsy from 18 cases of idiopathic DCM cases as test samples, 5 cases of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and 17 from patients died of non cardiac causes, were taken as controls. Polymerase chain reaction (DNA-PCR) were carried out for the detection of PV B19, cytomegalovirus and HSV genome by targeting NS1, IE and polymerase genes respectively, after de-formalization of tissues. CD68 and CD 3 markers were studied by using monoclonal antibody following standard avidin-biotin complex protocol. Parvovirus B19 genome was found in cardiac tissues of 2 DCM cases (2/18) and 2 RHD cases (2/5). CMV DNA was found in 1 RHD and 2 non cardiac controls, where as HSV genome was not found in any of the cases or controls. Both cases of PV B19 positive DCM cases had active myocarditis (CD68+ & CD3 +). Present study thus warrants the need to carry a more detail investigation, particularly in active myocarditis and in RHD cases to further substantiate their role in the pathogenesis of these disease conditions.
