Detection of human retrovirus 5 in patients with arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus

Objective. To examine whether human retrovirus 5 (HRV-5) infection is assoc iated with autoimmune rheumatic disease. Methods. DNA from patients with various disorders including inflammatory di seases and from normal subjects was tested by nested polymerase chain react ion (PCR) for HRV-5 proviral DNA. Positive results were confirmed by DNA se quencing. Results. HRV-5 proviral DNA was detected in 53% of synovial samples from ar thritic joints, in 12% of blood samples from patients with rheumatoid arthr itis (RA), and in 16% of blood samples from patients with systemic lupus er ythematosus. In contrast, it was not detectable by PCR of affected tissues from patients with several other autoimmune diseases and was found in only 1 of >200 tissue specimens obtained at autopsy from non-RA patients. Sequen ce analysis of the amplified viral segment showed genetic variation between samples with maintenance of the open reading frame, typical of a replicati ng infectious retrovirus. Conclusion. This is the first report of the frequent detection of HRV-5 in any disease. We propose that the possible involvement of HRV-5 in autoimmun e and rheumatic disease should be investigated further.