Particles Resembling Papova Viruses in Human Cerebral Demyelinating Disease

Abstract

Degenerated brain tissue obtained from a deceased patient who had progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy had been fixed in formalin prior to processing for electron microscopy. In ultrathin sections virus-like particles resembling papova virions were frequently observed in glial nuclei. Correlation with light-microscopy findings suggests that demyelination resulted from the cytocidal effect of the virus on oligodendroglia.

Viral variant nucleotide sequences help expose leukocytic positioning in the JC virus pathway to the CNS

“…In 1965, electron microscopy was used to detect particles resembling virus of the family Papovaviridae in the enlarged nuclei of oligodendrocytes from the brain tissue of PML patients [17]. Cultivation of this new papovavirus followed in 1971, when primary cultures of human fetal glial cells (HFGC) were inoculated with extracts from the necropsied brain of a PML patient whose initials were J.C. [18].…”

Human ubiquitous JCV(CY) T-antigen gene induces brain tumors in experimental animals

“…This virus was originally isolated from the brains of patients with the chronic demyelinating disease Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) (Padgett et al, 1971;ZuRhein and Chou, 1965). PML is an opportunistic disease that aects patients with an impaired immune system due to various illnesses, immunosuppressive therapeutic treatments, and genetic disorders (Astrom et al, 1958;Berger and Concha, 1995).…”

Molecular Epidemiology of Human Polyomavirus JC in the Biaka Pygmies and Bantu of Central Africa

“…Studies with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) show that 30-70% of adults worldwide are positive for JC viruria (Agostini et al 1996, Sugimoto et al 1997, Shah et al 1998. JCV has been established as the causative agent in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a fatal demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (Zurhein & Chou 1965). PML, previously a rare disorder found in immunocompromised patients with hematologic malignancies, is now prevalent in 5-7% of AIDS cases in the USA and Europe (Berger & Concha 1995, Martinez et al 1995, but in only 0.8% of Brazilian AIDS patients (Chimelli et al 1992) and 1.5% in West African AIDS cases (Lucas et al 1993).…”