Serological profile of John Cunningham virus (JCV) in patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Treatment options for multiple sclerosis (MS) have changed over the last few years, bringing about a new category of drugs with more efficient profiles. However, these drugs have come with a whole new profile of potential adverse events that neurologists have to learn well and quickly. One of the most feared complications of these MS treatments is progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy caused by the reactivation of the John Cunningham virus (JCV). Objective: To identify the serologic profile of JCV in patients with MS. Methods: Data on serum antibodies for JCV were obtained using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay provided by the STRATIFY-JCV program. Results: A total of 1,501 blood tests were obtained from 1,102 patients with MS. There were 633 patients (57.1%) who were positive for antibodies for JCV and 469 patients who were negative (42.9%). Twenty-three patients became positive after initially having negative JCV antibody status. The rate of seroconversion was 18.5% over 22 months. Conclusion: The JCV serologic profile and seroconversion in Brazilian patients were similar to those described in other countries.

JC Virus Seroprevalence and JCVAb Index in Polish Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated with Immunomodulating or Immunosuppressive Therapies

“…The fact that the data were obtained in other regions, such as the countries of North America, the Middle East or Australia and Brazil [ 13 , 23 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], is consistent with the European results and, therefore, Poland can be classified as a region of high JCV prevalence in the population of MS patients.…”

Falhas terapêuticas no tratamento de esclerose múltipla: relato de caso / Therapeutic failures in the treatment of multiple sclerosis: a case report

“…Como o título do JCV da paciente era positivo e elevado esse medicamento foi descartado, pois os possíveis riscos associados a sua utilização eram maiores que seus benefícios. (BRANCO et al, 2018;MARQUES et al, 2018) Então, a opção terapêutica adotada foi o fingolimode que possui alta eficácia em controlar recidiva e lesões na EM. No entanto, pode ocasionar linfopenia e, quando se mostra inferior a 500 células/mm 3 , deve ser monitorado a fim de reduzir o risco de infecções.…”