Association of neurotropic viruses in HIV-infected individuals who died of secondary complications of tuberculosis, cryptococcosis, or toxoplasmosis in South India.

The frequencies of 10 opportunistic DNA viruses were determined by multiplex real-time PCR in paired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain tissue of HIV-infected individuals. In the CSF, viruses were detectable in 45/55 cases: JC virus (JCV) in 62%, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in 44%, cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 25%, varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in 3.6%, herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) in 1.8%, and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) in 1.8% of cases. A single virus was detectable in 20 cases, 19 cases had coinfection with two viruses, and 6 cases were positive for three viruses. JCV was detectable in the CSF of 62% of cases and in 42% of brain tissues, with higher loads in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) (P < 0.05).