DETECTION OF ENTEROVIRAL RIBONUCLEIC-ACID IN MYOCARDIAL BIOPSIES FROMPATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY BY POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

Infection by enteroviruses, especially by Coxsackie B viruses, has bee n incriminated in pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy. We developed polymerase chain reaction tests for the detection of enteroviral and Coxsackie B3 genomes, respectively, in myocardial biopsies obtained fr om a homogenous group of 19 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyo pathy. To determine unambiguously the incidence of enteroviruses and C oxsackie B3 viruses in these patients, we used two primer pairs, one c ommon to all enteroviruses and the other specific for Coxsackie B3 vir uses. In six patients of the dilated cardiomyopathy group, enteroviral ribonucleic acid (RNA) could be detected; only one was subspecified a s Coxsackie B3 RNA. In contrast, no enteroviral RNA could be detected in a contrast group of 21 patients with other cardiac disorders. These results suggest that enteroviruses other than Coxsackie B3 are causal ly linked to the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy.