DIAGNOSIS OF CHILDHOOD BK VIRUS CYSTITIS BY ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY AND PCR

A case of BK virus cystitis in a 5 year old boy is reported. This pati ent, who was not immunocompromised, had had acute cystitis for two wee ks. Many intracytoplasmic inclusions were observed in urinary sediment smears stained by the Papanicolaou method. Electron microscopic exami nation showed virus particles, presumed to be human polyomavirus, in t he nuclei of the degenerated urothelial cells. A DNA sequence of the B K virus was detected in 200-300 urothelial cells in Papanicolaou stain ed smears by the polymerase chain reaction. BK virus is an unusual cau se of symptomatic cystitis in a healthy child.