Development of diagnostic method to detect enterovirus by polymerase chain reaction

建立了利用聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测肠道病毒和心脏病毒的新方法。我们使用了一对引物，它们包含柯萨奇病毒B3基因组5'端序列的一部分，也可以检测许多肠道rna。我们发现柯萨奇病毒感染C3H/He小鼠的心脏在病毒接种后2 ~ 21天呈病毒RNA阳性，28天后呈阴性。PCR检测病毒RNA的时间晚于培养。因此，与传统的培养方法相比，酶扩增法检测病毒RNA更快速、更容易，可能对病毒性心肌炎的临床诊断更有用。我们还研究了33例心肌炎和心肌病患者的标本，并在1例心肌病患者中检测到柯萨奇病毒RNA。我们还开发了一种利用PCR检测心脏病毒RNA的新方法。在感染脑心肌炎病毒的小鼠心脏接种病毒后，心脏病毒RNA持续存在很长时间。PCR是检测特发性心肌疾病或扩张型心肌病可能的病毒病因的一种潜在的有用方法。

New methods to detect enterovirus and cardiovirus were developed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We used a pair of primers, which encompass a part of the 5' end sequence of the coxcsackieviurus B3 genome and can also detect many enterovial RNAs. We found that hearts of C3H/He mice infrrted with coxsackievirus were positive for the viral RNA from 2 to 21 days after virus inoculation by PCR, but negative after day 28. The viral RNA were detected by PCR later than by culture. Thus, the detection of the viral RNA using enzymatic amplification is more rapid and easier and may be more useful for clinical diagnosis of viral myocarditis than coventional culture methods. We also studied 33 specimen from the patients with myocarditis and cardiomyopathy and coxsackieviral RNA was detected in a patient with cardiomyopathy. We also developed a new method to detect cardioviral RNA using PCR. Cardioviral RNA persisted long after virus inoculatin in the hearts of mice infected with encephalomyocarditis virus. The PCR is a potentially a useful method to test possible viral etiologies in idiopathic heart muscle disease or dilated cardiomyopathy.