All issues > Volume 43(9); 2000

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 2000;43(9):1180-1186. Published online September 15, 2000.

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

Hae-Soon HS Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

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 from UL-42 for herpes simplex virus type 1(HSV-1), US-4 for herpes simplex virus type 2(HSV-2), major IE for cytomegalovirus(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.

Keywords :Kawasaki disease, Polymerase chain reaction, Epstein-Barr virus