RNA Virus Gene Signatures Detected in Patients With Cardiomyopathy After Chemotherapy; A Pilot Study

Background Viral infections are pervasive and leading causes of myocarditis. Immune-suppression after chemotherapy increases opportunistic infections, but the incidence of virus-induced myocarditis is unknown. Objective An unbiased, blinded screening for RNA viruses was performed after chemotherapy with correlation to cardiac function. Methods High-throughput sequencing of RNA isolated from blood samples was analyzed following chemotherapy for hematological malignancies ( N = 28) and compared with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Results On initial rigorous analysis, low levels of influenza orthomyxovirus and avian paramyxovirus sequences were detectable, but without significant correlation to LVEF (r = 0.208). A secondary broad data mining analysis for virus sequences, without filtering human sequences, detected significant correlations for paramyxovirus with LVEF after chemotherapy (r = 0.592, P 0.0096). Correlations were similar for LVEF pre- and post- chemotherapy for orthomyxovirus (R = 0.483, P 0.0421). Retrovirus detection also correlated with LVEF post (r = 0.453, p 0.0591), but not pre-chemotherapy, but is suspect due to potential host contamination. Detectable phage and anellovirus had no correlation. Combined sequence reads (all viruses) demonstrated significant correlation (r = 0.621, P 0.0078). Reduced LVEF was not associated with chemotherapy (P = NS). Conclusions This is the first report of RNA virus screening in circulating blood and association with changes in cardiac function among patients post chemotherapy, using unbiased, blinded, high-throughput sequencing. Influenza orthomyxovirus, avian paramyxovirus and retrovirus sequences were detectable in patients with reduced LVEF. Further analysis for RNA virus infections in patients with cardiomyopathy after chemotherapy is warranted.