Viral involvement in Kawasaki syndrome?Viral involvement in Kawasaki syndrome Kawasaki Syndrome Definition Kawasaki syndrome is a potentially fatal inflammatory disease that affects several organ systems in the body, including the heart, circulatory system, mucous membranes, skin, and immune system. ? Researchers from several Harvard-affiliated institutions have found signs of viral involvement in Kawasaki syndrome. The cause of the illness, which can result in heart problems in young children, has remained elusive (NS: 7/6/85, p. 10). Kawasaki syndrome includes among its symptoms fever and rash. About 15 to 20 percent of children with it develop weakened walls in their coronary arteries Coronary arteries The two main arteries that provide blood to the heart. The coronary arteries surround the heart like a crown, coming out of the aorta, arching down over the top of the heart, and dividing into two branches. . The syndrome is more common in Japan, where it was discovered, than in the United States, which has several hundred cases a year. Incidence of the disease shows a pattern consistent with an infectious agent-- cases tend to occur every few years and are most common in winter and spring. Researchers have focused their attention on a retrovirus retrovirus, type of RNA virus that, unlike other RNA viruses, reproduces by transcribing itself into DNA. An enzyme called reverse transcriptase allows a retrovirus's RNA to act as the template for this RNA-to-DNA transcription. , a type of virus that can promote the type of white blood cell growth seen in the syndrome. The Harvard group detected reverse transcriptase, an enzyme peculiar to retroviruses, in 5 of 14 children with Kawasaki syndrome. The enzyme could not be found in cells from healthy children or children with other fever-related illnesses. The researchers were able to photograph viral particles in white blood cells White blood cells A group of several cell types that occur in the bloodstream and are essential for a properly functioning immune system. Mentioned in: Abscess Incision & Drainage, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Complement Deficiencies through electron microscopy, and they were also able to transfer infection from one cell to another. Their work is described in the Oct. 30 NATURE. The NATURE report confirms and extends a study in the Sept. 6 LANCET by Stanford T. Shulman and Anne H. Rowley of Children's Memorial Hospital With almost 1,100 pediatric specialists focusing on 70 specialties in multiple locations, Children's Memorial Hospital routinely provides more care to more young people than any other Chicago-area hospital or medical center. in Chicago. They detected reverse transcriptase in 8 of 18 children with Kawasaki syndrome. But while both studies indicate the virus is present in diseased children, neither proves it is the cause. "The exact role remains to be elucidated,' says Donald Y. M. Leung of Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is a prestigious American medical school located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. . Says Rowley, "I'd put it in the realm of an exciting possibility.' |
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