Cervical carcinogenesis is a complex problem with papillomavirus widely accepted as a causative agent. Integration of a human papillomavirus (HPV) of the high-risk type into the host cell genome is one of the major contributing factors to cervical malignant transformation. In this study, the correlation of CMV, EBV, HSV-1, HSV-2, HHV-6 and HHV-7 infections with the physical status of the HPV genome in cervical cancer and precancerous cervical lesions was investigated in sixty HPV-16-positive women. Cervical secretion samples were submitted to DNA extraction and analyzed by PCR. HPV-16 DNA was confirmed in genotyping with the reverse hybridization line probe assay. Multiplex PCR with specific primers for the E2/E6 genes was used to assess the viral integration status of HPV-16. Our results show that CMV DNA was more frequently present in samples with mixed forms of HPV-16 than in the episomal form (P < 0.025). Such a correlation was also observed in the case of EBV (P < 0.005). The presence of CMV resulted in a six-fold (OR 6.069; 95% CI 1.91-19.22; P = 0.002), while EBV caused a seven-fold (OR 7.11; 95% CI 1.70-29.67; P = 0.007) increase in the risk of the integrated or mixed HPV-16 genome occurrence. Our data suggest that coinfection with herpesviruses, especially CMV and EBV, may be involved in the integration of the HPV-16 genome and may contribute to the development of cervical cancer.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of congenital infection. This pathogen exhibits extensive genetic variability in the genes that encode structural envelope glycoproteins, regulatory proteins, and proteins that contribute to immune evasion. However, the role of specific viral strains in the outcome of congenital CMV infection is unclear. Variation in the UL55 gene encoding glycoprotein B (gB), the UL144 gene encoding TNF α-like receptor, and the US28 gene encoding β-chemokine receptor was determined in 60 newborn infants with congenital CMV infection and 90 infants with postnatal or undefined CMV infection. CMV polymorphisms were studied in relation to disease outcome and viral load. Genotyping was performed by a sequencing analysis of PCR-amplified fragments, and the viral load was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The results demonstrated that (1) the UL55 and US28 genotype distributions were similar among the group of congenital and postnatal CMV infection; (2) the UL144 B1 genotype was more prevalent in congenital than in postnatal infection and was detected in 70% of newborns with asymptomatic congenital infection; and (3) none of the examined genotype was significantly linked with symptomatic CMV infection. No relationship was observed between genotype and viral load. The results revealed that UL55, UL144, and US28 polymorphisms are not associated with the outcome of CMV infection in infants, but the presence of UL144 B1 genotype might be virological marker of asymptomatic infection at birth.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a leading cause of congenital infection and a leading infectious cause of hearing loss in children. The ORF UL75 gene encodes envelope glycoprotein H (gH), which is essential for CMV entry into host cells and the target of the immune response in humans. However, the distribution of gH variants and the relationship between the viral genotype, viral load, and sequelae in children infected with CMV is debated. The UL75 genetic variation of CMV isolates from 42 newborns infected congenitally with CMV and 93 infants with postnatal or unproven congenital CMV infection was analyzed. Genotyping was performed by analysis of PCR-amplified fragments, and the viral load was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. There were no differences in the distribution of gH genotypes in the children infected congenitally and postnatally. Mixed-genotype infections with both gH1 and gH2 variants were detected in approximately 25% of the examined patients. No relationship between UL75 gene polymorphisms and the symptoms at birth was observed. The results suggest that the infection with gH2 genotype diminishes the risk of hearing loss in children (P = 0.010). In addition, sensorineural hearing loss was associated with CMV gH1 genotype infection in infants (P = 0.032) and a high viral load in urine (P = 0.005). In conclusion, it was found that the gH genotype does not predict clinical sequelae in newborn infants following congenital CMV infection. However, these results suggest that the gH genotype might be associated with hearing loss in children.

No abstract

The SHS-174 preparation, a lyophilized infusion from flowers of Sambucus nigra L., aerial parts of Hypericum perforatum L., and roots of Saponaria oficinalis (100 g; 70 g; 40 g) exhibited an antiviral effect. It inhibited the reproduction of different strains of influenza virus types A and B, both in vitro and in vivo, and herpes simplex virus type 1, in vitro. The preparation contains flavonoids, triterpene saponins, phenolic acids, tannins and polysaccharides which could be responsible for its antiviral properties.