4th Annual BMRP Investigator Meeting - Abstract

Does a Viral Agent Induce Crohn’s Disease? A Search for Viral Agents in Children with Early Onset Crohn’s Disease

Carl D. Kirkwood^1,a, Karen Boniface¹, Anthony G. Catto-Smith², Don Cameron² and Ruth F. Bishop<sup>1

1</sup>Enteric Virus Research Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (Parkville, Victoria, Australia); ²Department of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition, Royal Children’s Hospital (Parkville, Victoria, Australia).

Many different infectious agents have been implicated in causation of Crohn’s disease. Interpretation of research results has been inconclusive, perhaps because almost all studies have examined adult patients with chronic disease, many of whom have been receiving immunosuppressive agents and other medications capable of altering gut flora.  We have recruited children undergoing initial endoscopic examination prior to use of medication.  Biopsy and blood specimens have been collected from 40 Crohn’s disease patients, 19 ulcerative colitis and 34 non-inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.

To evaluate the role that viral agents play in initiating Crohn’s disease, ileal biopsy specimens collected from four patients with confirmed Crohn’s disease and four control non-IBD patients has been examined by DNA subtractive hybridization analysis.  In this analysis, >1,000 differentially expressed clones have been selected and screened by Southern hybridization. 100 clones have been identified as containing differentially expressed genes.  No genetic material from an infectious agent has been identified in the initial sequence analysis conducted in 85 clones.  All contained human genetic material.

Ongoing cutting edge molecular analysis of the clinical material (biopsy and blood) collected from children with early onset Crohn’s disease will be continued in order to detect novel or rare viral agents.

^aPrincipal Investigator