Detection of enteroviral RNA in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and other human cardiac tissues
Abstract
Enteroviruses have been considered to be a possible cause of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. We used a polymerase chain reaction methodology for the identification of enteroviral RNA in an attempt to provide evidence of a role for enteroviruses in the pathogenesis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. The methodology was shown to identify a wide variety of enteroviruses with a sensitivity up to 0.1-1 plaque-forming units/gram of tissue. 5 of 11 cases (45%) of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, as well as 9 of 24 cases (38%) of a wide variety of other cardiac conditions (including normal heart), were positive for enteroviral nucleic acid sequences; all eight control cases of breast carcinoma tested were negative. These results suggest that both the normal and abnormal heart may represent a site of latent or low-grade persistent enteroviral infection, and that the mere presence of enteroviral nucleic acid sequences is not specifically associated with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
Publication Title
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Recommended Citation
Weiss, L., Liu, X., Chang, K., & Billingham, M. (1992). Detection of enteroviral RNA in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and other human cardiac tissues. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 90 (1), 156-159. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI115830
