Epidemiology of Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infections in peripheral blood leukocytes revealed by a multiplex PCR assay.

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been developed for the simultaneous detection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) in a clinical sample. Primers of multiplex PCR were designed to amplify specific regions of the EBV EBNA1, CMV IE2, and KSHV LANA genes. This multiplex PCR assay was found to have detection sensitivities of 1-10 copies of purified viral DNA cloned into the plasmid.

Apoptotic effect of ganciclovir on primary effusion lymphoma cells infected with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.

We evaluated the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of two purine nucleoside analogues, acyclovir (ACV) and ganciclovir (GCV), on lymphoma cells stably harboring Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). Colorimetric caspase assay, flow cytometry, and immunoblotting with antibodies against apoptosis-related molecules revealed that GCV has cytotoxic activity toward KSHV-infected primary effusion lymphoma cells, while ACV has weak or little activity. In addition to the GCV-induced cytotoxicity, apoptosis via caspase-7/8, cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and accumulation of p53 and p21 were induced by GCV treatment.

Multiplex PCR-based DNA array for simultaneous detection of three human herpesviruses, EVB, CMV and KSHV.

Human lymphotropic herpesviruses, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) are responsible for a wide variety of human diseases. Due to an increase in diseased states associated with immunosuppression, more instances of co-morbid infections with these herpesviruses have resulted in viral reactivations that have caused numerous fatalities. Therefore, the development of rapid and accurate method to detect these viruses in immunocompromised patients is vital for immediate treatment with antiviral prophylactic drugs.