NO ASSOCIATION OF JC VIRUS WITH ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE OR ASTROCYTOMAS

Objectives: To investigate if JC virus (JCV) can be involved in the pa thogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and astrocytomas. Study design: A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the detection o f JCV DNA in autopsy brain material (cerebral white matter) and cerebr ospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from patients with AD and age-matched co ntrol patients without neurological diseases, together with biopsies f rom patients with astrocytomas (grades 3 and 4). Brain autopsy materia l from AIDS patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy ( PML) was examined as positive control material. Results: JCV DNA was d etected by PCR in only one of the 17 brain autopsies from patients wit h AD, but in none of the 26 control patients without neurological dise ases and in none of the 5 astrocytoma biopsies. JCV DNA was, however, detected in the brain material from two patients with PML. Conclusion: Our results show that JCV infection does not seem to be directly invo lved in the pathology of AD or in the development of astrocytomas. In addition, since no viral DNA was detected in CSF specimens from 43 pat ients without PML (17 with AD and 26 elderly controls), our results su ggest that the finding of JCV DNA in CSF correlates to PML.