Molecular Investigation of Human Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr Virus in Glioblastoma Brain Tumor: A Case-Control Study in Iran Publisher Pubmed



Ghaffari H¹ ; Tavakoli A² ; Faranoush M³ ; Naderi A⁴ ; Kiani SJ⁵ ; Sadeghipour A⁶ ; Javanmard D⁷ ; Farahmand M⁸ ; Ghorbani S⁵ ; Sedaghati F⁹ ; Monavari SH⁵
Source: Iranian Biomedical Journal Published:2021

Abstract

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme is the most invasive and lethal form of brain cancer with unclear etiology. Our study aimed to investigate the molecular prevalence of HCMV and EBV infections in patients with GBM. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 42 FFPE brain tumor samples from GBM patients and 42 brain autopsies from subjects without neurological disorders. The presence of EBV and HCMV DNA was determined, using PCR and nested-PCR assays, respectively. Results: HCMV DNA was detected in 3 out of 42 (7.1%) of GBM samples and was absent from the control group (p = 0.07). Importantly, EBV DNA was detected in 9 out of 42 (21.4%) brain tissue specimens of GBM subjects, but again in none of the control group (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that infection with EBV is associated with GBM. DOI: 10.52547/ibj.25.6.426. © 2021, Pasteur Institute of Iran. All rights reserved.