Monocytes of Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Harbour Enterovirus RNA

Background: Intracellular enterovirus (EV) RNA was detected in blood of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The presence of EV RNA in subsets of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients,And the in vitro infection of these cells withAn EV, was investigated. MaterialsAnd methods: Blood was collected from 42 patients with T1D, PBMCs were isolatedAnd monocytes were purified. InterferonAlpha (IFNα) mRNAAnd EV RNA were investigated using RT-PCR. Levels of IFNα in plasma were measured usingAn immunoassay. Cells were inoculated with Coxsackievirus B4 (CBV4) in vitro,And infection wasAssessed by indirect immunofluorescence (IFI). Results: InterferonAlpha mRNA was detected in bloodAnd in monocytes of 12 of 42 patients with T1D, but not in monocyte-depleted PBMCs of the same individuals. Significant plasma levels of IFNα (≥ 5 IU/mL) were found in six patients. EV RNA was detected in whole bloodAnd in monocytes of seven patientsAnd negative-strand EV RNA was found in monocytes of 6 of them. When monocytes of patients with IFNαAnd/or EV RNA in their blood were inoculated with CVB4, the proportion of cells stained byAnAnti-VP1Antibody was 8·8 ± 1%, whereas no VP1 was detected in the monocytes of IFNα, EV RNA negative patients. Nevertheless, when CBV4 was mixed with plasma, VP1 was detected in monocytes ofAll patients with T1D (staining ranging from 12 to 36%). Conclusions: Our data indicate that monocytes of patients with T1D can harbor EV RNAAnd IFNα mRNAAnd can be infected withAn EV in vitro.