Key result
Polymerase chain reaction testing of synovial and blood cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis did not detect any lentiviral or HTLV-like sequences.
Why the study?
Are lentiviral or HTLV-like sequences present in the cells of patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
Observational
Are lentiviral or HTLV-like sequences present in the cells of patients with rheumatoid arthritis?
The study found no evidence of lentiviral or HTLV-like sequences in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting these viruses are not the infectious etiology of the disease.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
No lentiviral sequences in RA cells; leaves open non-viral etiologies for prospective investigation.
OBJECTIVE: The etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unknown, and the possibility that an infectious agent is involved has not been excluded. Lentiviruses can cause chronic arthritis in humans and in animals and have been suggested as candidate agents in RA. We therefore tested for the presence of lentiviruses and also for human T cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)/HTLV-II in cells from patients with RA. METHODS: We used the polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primers designed to recognize highly conserved nucleotide sequences from 5 different pathogenic lentiviruses. This method allowed the detection of at least 1 infected cell/20,000 uninfected cells in control experiments. RESULTS: Testing of synovial cells and blood cells from patients with early RA and patients with established RA did not yield any specific viral product. CONCLUSION: Our results do not support the presence of lentiviruses or HTLV-like sequences in RA.
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Giovine et al. (1994) conducted an observational in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Lentiviral and HTLV-I/HTLV-II infection was evaluated on Presence of lentiviruses or HTLV-I/HTLV-II sequences in synovial and blood cells. Polymerase chain reaction testing of synovial and blood cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis did not detect any lentiviral or HTLV-like sequences.
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