The question of whether some cases of interstitial cystitis may have an infectious etiology has been debated for some time. Previous studies have looked for the presence of certain specific viruses, but generally did not use the types of sensitive and unbiased approaches that are currently available. As part of the MAPP (Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain) Research Network, we examined urine specimens from interstitial cystitis patients who provided specimens over time and also reported various symptoms at the time of urine collection. We first performed next-generation sequencing to look for the presence of viruses in urines, and detected two human polyomaviruses that are known to be excreted into urine, BKPyV and JCPyV. We were especially interested in BKPyV because it is a known cause of another bladder disease, hemorrhagic cystitis, in bone marrow transplant recipients. Further analysis of individual samples indicates a trend toward higher excretion of polyomaviruses in patients experiencing increased symptoms.
Virus genes. 2020 May 23 [Epub ahead of print]
Maria Teresa Sáenz Robles, Paul G Cantalupo, Alexis M Duray, Melissa Freeland, Michelle Murkowski, Adrie van Bokhoven, Alisa J Stephens-Shields, James M Pipas, Michael J Imperiale
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA., Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA., Department of Pathology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA., Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perlman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA., Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. .