Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

BK virus infection in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients

  • Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of BK virus (BKV) infection in HIV-positive patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in our hospital. The presence of BKV was analysed in urine and plasma samples from 78 non-selected HIV-infected patients. Clinical data were recorded using a pre-established protocol. We used a nested PCR to amplify a specific region of the BKV T-large antigen. Positive samples were quantified using real-time PCR. Mean CD4 count in HIV-infected patients was 472 cells/mm3 and median HIV viral load was <50 copies/mL. BKV viraemia was detected in only 1 HIV-positive patient, but 57.7% (45 out of 78) had BKV viruria, which was more common in patients with CD4 counts >500 cells/mm3 (74.3% vs 25.7%; p = 0.007). Viruria was present in 21.7% of healthy controls (5 out of 23 samples, p = 0.02). All viral loads were low (<100 copies/mL), and we could not find any association between BKV infection and renal or neurological manifestations. We provide an update on the prevalence of BKV in HIV-infected patients treated with HAART. BKV viruria was more common in HIV-infected patients; however, no role for BKV has been demonstrated in this population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Goudsmit J, Wertheim-van Dillen P, van Strien A, van der Noordaa J (1982) The role of BK virus in acute respiratory tract disease and the presence of BKV DNA in tonsils. J Med Virol 10:91–99

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Heritage J, Chesters PM, McCance DJ (1981) The persistence of papovavirus BK DNA sequences in normal human renal tissue. J Med Virol 8:143–150

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Elsner C, Dorries K (1992) Evidence of human polyomavirus BK and JC infection in normal brain tissue. Virology 191:72–80

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Randhawa PS, Finkelstein S, Scantlebury V, Shapiro R, Vivas C, Jordan M et al (1999) Human polyoma virus-associated interstitial nephritis in the allograft kidney. Transplantation 67:103–109

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Arthur RR, Shah KV, Baust SJ, Santos GW, Saral R (1986) Association of BK viruria with hemorrhagic cystitis in recipients of bone marrow transplants. N Engl J Med 315:230–234

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Behzad-Behbahani A, Klapper PE, Vallely PJ, Cleator GM, Khoo SH (2004) Detection of BK virus and JC virus DNA in urine samples from immunocompromised (HIV-infected) and immunocompetent (HIV-non-infected) patients using polymerase chain reaction and microplate hybridisation. J Clin Virol 29:224–229

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Knowles WA, Pillay D, Johnson MA, Hand JF, Brown DW (1999) Prevalence of long-term BK and JC excretion in HIV-infected adults and lack of correlation with serological markers. J Med Virol 59:474–479

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Vallbracht A, Lohler J, Gossmann J, Gluck T, Petersen D, Gerth HJ et al (1993) Disseminated BK type polyomavirus infection in an AIDS patient associated with central nervous system disease. Am J Pathol 143:29–39

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Sukov WR, Lewin M, Sethi S, Rakowski TA, Lager DJ (2008) BK virus-associated nephropathy in a patient with AIDS. Am J Kidney Dis 51:e15–e18

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Crum-Cianflone N, Quigley M, Utz G, Hale B (2007) BK virus-associated renal failure among HIV patients. AIDS 21:1501–1502

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Barouch DH, Faquin WC, Chen Y, Koralnik IJ, Robbins GK, Davis BT (2002) BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected patient. Clin Infect Dis 35:326–329

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Bratt G, Hammarin AL, Grandien M, Hedquist BG, Nennesmo I, Sundelin B et al (1999) BK virus as the cause of meningoencephalitis, retinitis and nephritis in a patient with AIDS. AIDS 13:1071–1075

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Vidal JE, Fink MC, Cedeno-Laurent F, Delbue S, Ferrante P, Dauar RF et al (2007) BK virus associated meningoencephalitis in an AIDS patient treated with HAART. AIDS Res Ther 4:13

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Sundsfjord A, Flaegstad T, Flo R, Spein AR, Pedersen M, Permin H et al (1994) BK and JC viruses in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected persons: prevalence, excretion, viremia, and viral regulatory regions. J Infect Dis 169:485–490

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Fedele CG, Ciardi M, Delia S, Echevarria JM, Tenorio A (1999) Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for the simultaneous detection and typing of polyomavirus JC, BK and SV40 DNA in clinical samples. J Virol Methods 82:137–144

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Leung AY, Chan M, Tang SC, Liang R, Kwong YL (2002) Real-time quantitative analysis of polyoma BK viremia and viruria in renal allograft recipients. J Virol Methods 103:51–56

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. White MK, Gorrill TS, Khalili K (2006) Reciprocal transactivation between HIV-1 and other human viruses. Virology 352:1–13

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Di Taranto C, Pietropaolo V, Orsi GB, Jin L, Sinibaldi L, Degener AM (1997) Detection of BK polyomavirus genotypes in healthy and HIV-positive children. Eur J Epidemiol 13:653–657

    Google Scholar 

  19. Jacobson MA, Zegans M, Pavan PR, O’Donnell JJ, Sattler F, Rao N, Owens S, Pollard R (1997) Cytomegalovirus retinitis after initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Lancet 349:3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Randhawa P, Zemlicka J, Sauerbrei A, Meier C, Hostetler KY, Beadle JR, Farasati NA, Huang Y, Bradley M (2008) Anti-BK virus activity of nucleoside analogs. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 52:3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Flaegstad T, Permin H, Husebekk A, Husby G, Traavik T (1988) BK virus infection in patients with AIDS. Scand J Infect Dis 20:145–150

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (PI0690636), ISCIII, Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo (Spanish Ministry of Health), Fundación de la Investigación Médica Mutua Madrileña, and CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES).

We would like to thank our patients for their co-operation and Dr Y. L. Kwong, University Hospital Hong Kong, for providing the plasmid standard pB-VP1.

The members of the BKV Study Group are F. Anaya, R. Bañares, E. Bouza, J.L. Diez, D. García de Viedma, A. Fernandez Cruz, M. Fernandez-Rengel, J. Ledesma, B. Loeches, A. Luque, P. Muñoz, B. Padilla, J. Palomo, A. Peña, M. Pérez, D. Rincón, M. Salcedo, M. Sánchez Somolinos, D. Serrano, M.L. Rodríguez, B. Rodríguez-Sánchez, E. Verde and J.F. Yañez

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Microbiology-Infectious Diseases, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Doctor Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain

    J. Ledesma, P. Muñoz, D. Garcia de Viedma, I. Cabrero, B. Loeches, P. Montilla, P. Gijon, B. Rodriguez-Sanchez & E. Bouza

  2. CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Madrid, Spain

    J. Ledesma, P. Muñoz, D. Garcia de Viedma, B. Rodriguez-Sanchez & E. Bouza

Authors
  1. J. Ledesma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. Muñoz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. Garcia de Viedma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. I. Cabrero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. B. Loeches
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. P. Montilla
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. P. Gijon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. B. Rodriguez-Sanchez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. E. Bouza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Consortia

BKV Study Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Muñoz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ledesma, J., Muñoz, P., Garcia de Viedma, D. et al. BK virus infection in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 31, 1531–1535 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-011-1474-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-011-1474-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation