Herpesviruses and Toxoplasma gondii in orbital frontal cortex of

Doenças psiquiátricas podem ser provocadas por Toxoplasma gondii e Herpes vírus
Herpesviruses and Toxoplasma gondii in orbital frontal cortex
of psychiatric patients.
Conejero-Goldberg C, Torrey EF, Yolken RH.
Schizophr Res. 2003 Mar 1;60(1):65-9.
Source
Stanley Brain Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of
Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
[email protected]
Abstract
Herpes simplex virus (HSV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human
herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) are viruses capable of establishing latency. All of these infect the CNS
and have been detected in human postmortem brains. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan
organism which can reactivate in the brains of previously infected immunocompromised
individuals. To screen for the presence of herpesviruses and T. gondii in postmortem orbital
frontal brain samples from patients with schizophrenia, affective disorders, and controls, we
used nested-polymerase chain reaction (n-PCR)/sequencing. We identified HHV-6B sequences
in 2/51 postmortem brain samples but no sequences from other herpesviruses. We did not
detect sequences of T. gondii in the postmortem brains. Additional studies including ones
directed at the sensitive detection of viral nucleic acids in multiple brain regions should be
directed at confirming or excluding a role for viruses and protozoa in the etiology of these
disorders.
PMID:12505139