Epidemiology of the Epstein–Barr Virus in autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases in Northern Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: França, Samires Avelino de Souza
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Viana, Julimar Benedita Gomes de Oliveira, Góes, Hilda Carla Azevedo, Fonseca, Ricardo Roberto de Souza, Laurentino, Rogério Valois, Costa, Igor Brasil, Oliveira Filho, Aldemir Branco de, Machado, Luiz Fernando Almeida
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Digital do Instituto Evandro Chagas (Patuá)
• Texto Completo: https://patua.iec.gov.br/handle/iec/4515
• topic: Infecções por Vírus Epstein-Barr / patologia; Doenças Autoimunes; Doenças Reumáticas / patologia; Artrite Reumatoide; Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico

The present study aimed to describe the seroprevalence infection, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genotypes, relate the infection's profile with the epidemiological and corticotherapy data of patients with Autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRD). A cross-sectional study was carried out with 139 individuals, 92 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 27 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 20 with other autoimmune diseases, who were undergoing clinical follow-up in Brazil. Serological tests for the detection of EBV anti-VCA IgM and IgG antibodies, as well as the amplification of a segment of the EBV EBNA-3c gene by conventional PCR were performed to identify the infection and the viral subtype. The Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 3 (EBNA3C) gene participates of maintenance of viral latency and infected B-lymphocytes immortalization by unclear signaling cascades. The association of active/latent EBV infection with EBV infection profile was assessed by Fisher's exact test and multiple logistic regression. The seroprevalence of EBV anti-VCA IgG was 100%, while that of anti-VCA IgM was 1.43% (2/139). Active-phase infection was confirmed by the presence of EBV DNA in 40.29% of the population evaluated (56/139), with 45.65% (42/92) in SLE, 25.92% (7/27) in the RA and in 35% (7/20) in other autoimmune diseases. It was observed that individuals with SLE had a higher prevalence of active/lytic EBV infection and that oral corticosteroid therapy at a dose lower than 20 mg/day increased the risk of EBV activity by up to 11 times. Only the presence of EBV-1 was identified. Thus, EBV lytic infection was higher in individuals with SLE when compared to other autoimmune diseases with rheumatologic involvement and the lytic activity of the virus precedes corticosteroid-induced immunosuppression.