Real-Time PCR of cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus in adult Egyptian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: Infections may act as environmental triggers for induction of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We sought to explore the relative frequencies of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human cytomegalovirus (CMV) in adult Egyptian patients with SLE and their correlation with disease activity and damage.

Methods: Thirty-three consecutive adult patients satisfying the 1997 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Classification Criteria for SLE and 30 healthy controls were included in this case-control study.