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Epstein-Barr virus load in the peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Accurate quantification using real-time polymerase chain reaction

  1. Nathalie Balandraud1,
  2. Jean Baptiste Meynard2,
  3. Isabelle Auger3,
  4. Helene Sovran3,
  5. Benedicte Mugnier1,
  6. Denis Reviron4,
  7. Jean Roudier1,*,
  8. Chantal Roudier1

Article first published online: 6 MAY 2003

DOI: 10.1002/art.10933

Issue

Arthritis & Rheumatism

Arthritis & Rheumatism

Volume 48, Issue 5, pages 1223–1228, May 2003

Additional Information

How to Cite

Balandraud, N., Meynard, J. B., Auger, I., Sovran, H., Mugnier, B., Reviron, D., Roudier, J. and Roudier, C. (2003), Epstein-Barr virus load in the peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Accurate quantification using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 48: 1223–1228. doi: 10.1002/art.10933

Author Information

  1. 1

    INSERM EMI9940, and Hôpital La Conception, Marseilles, France

  2. 2

    Institut de Médecine Tropicale du Service de Santé des Armées, Marseilles, France

  3. 3

    INSERM EMI9940, Marseilles, France

  4. 4

    INSERM EMI9940, and Immunogénétique, EFS Alpes-Méditerranée, Marseilles, France

*INSERM EMI9940, Faculté de médecine, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, Marseilles 13005, France

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 6 MAY 2003
  2. Article first published online: 6 MAY 2003
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 14 JAN 2003
  4. Manuscript Received: 24 SEP 2002

Funded by

  • INSERM
  • Société Française de Rhumatologie
  • Association pour la Recherche sur la Polyarthrite

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Abstract

Objective

To determine whether patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have elevated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) load in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and whether it is correlated with the HLA–DR genes they express, we developed an accurate EBV DNA quantitative assay using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with fluorescent probes.

Methods

We studied the EBV DNA load in the PBMCs of 84 patients with RA, 69 normal controls, and 22 patients with rheumatic conditions other than RA. A 214-bp segment from the long internal repeat of EBV was amplified from 500 ng of PBMC DNA (150,000 cells) and quantified by real-time PCR with fluorescent probes.

Results

We demonstrated that in patients with RA, the EBV DNA load in PBMCs is increased almost 10-fold compared with that in normal controls. The EBV load is stable over time and is not obviously influenced by disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or HLA–DR.

Conclusion

Patients with RA have elevated EBV load in their peripheral blood.

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