2013•Arquivos de Neuro-PsiquiatriaOpen access
Nearly one-half of Brazilian patients with multiple sclerosis using natalizumab are DNA-JC virus positive
Yára Dadalti Fragoso, María Fernanda Mendes, Walter Oleschko Arruda, Jéfferson Becker, Joseph Bruno Bidin Brooks, Margarete de Jesus Carvalho, Elizabeth Regina Comini-Frota, Renán Barros Domingues, Maria Lúcia Brito Ferreira, Alessandro Finkelsztejn, Paulo Diniz da Gama, Sidney Gomes, Marcus Vinícius Magno Gonçalves, Damacio Ramón Kaimen-Maciel, Rogério de Rizo Morales, André Muniz, Heloísa Helena Ruocco, Pedro Rippel Salgado, Lívia Brito Bezerra de Albuquerque, Rodrigo Assad Diniz da Gama, Sérgio Murilo Georgeto, Josiane Lopes, Celso Luis Silva Oliveira, Francisco Tomaz Meneses de Oliveira, Juliana Safanelli, Patricia Correia de Oliveira Saldanha, Massaco Satomi
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Natalizumab is a new and efficient treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). The risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) during the use of this drug has created the need for better comprehension of JC virus (JCV) infection. The objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of JCV-DNA in Brazilian patients using natalizumab. METHOD: Qualitative detection of the JCV in the serum was performed with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: In a group of 168 patients with MS who were undergoing treatment with natalizumab, JCV-DNA was detectable in 86 (51.2%) patients. DISCUSSION: Data on JCV-DNA in Brazil add to the worldwide assessment of the prevalence of the JCV in MS patients requiring treatment with natalizumab.
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