Chronic herpes virus infections in patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID)

B Thompson (1), M Guckian, A Huissoon, P Moss (1).

Department of Immunology, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital

1. School for Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequent of the primary antibody deficiency syndromes. CVID patients are prone to a range of clinical complications, often related to chronic inflammation and/or granulomatous infiltration of various organs which have, until recently, not been linked to any infection.

Herpes viruses are a group of eight viruses that are widely distributed in the population. Cellular (T and NK cell) immune responses are believed to play the major role in controlling herpes virus infection but humoral immunity is also likely to be an important factor. There is already evidence for the role of at least two herpes viruses in the development of the clinical complications arising in CVID. Cytomegalovirus has been associated with the development of granulomatous complications and inflammatory bowel disease. Initial reports suggest that anti-viral treatment may ameliorate some of these features. In addition HHV-8 infection has also been associated with lymphomatous complications. However, to date there have been no studies in which the level of viral load has been measured in the blood of patients with CVID.

In this project we will establish quantitative PCR for all eight herpes viruses and measure viral load in CVID patients compared this with control groups. PCR primers to conserved regions of herpes virus genomes will be synthesized and optimised using viral cell cultures in vitro. Serum and cell samples will be taken from patients and the level of virus determined. These results will be correlated with the disease complications seen in the disease and, in addition, will be compared to those seen in control individuals.