Infectious Diseases and Microbiology - Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (human polyomavirus /JC virus ( JCV))

Infectious Diseases and Microbiology - Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy  (human polyomavirus /JC virus ( JCV)) 

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML)
The JC virus, a human polyomavirus, is the cause of PML. 70% to 80% of adults test positive for JCV, which is a common asymptomatic childhood infection spread via respiratory tract droplets.
In immunocompromised people, such as the elderly with immunodeficiency conditions, patients receiving immunosuppressive medication for organ transplantation or chemotherapy for cancer, and patients with AIDS, JCV produces an opportunistic infection of the brain.
Adults with immunosuppressive disorders are susceptible to PML, a demyelinating brain disease. 

Early symptoms include impairments in speech, eyesight, and mental status. The onset is subtle. Within six months of the start of the clinical course, a coma and death result.

 JCV spreads via viremia and is contracted through the respiratory system, resulting in latent infection in several organs. JCV is triggered in immunocompromised people, travels to the brain, and specifically targets and destroys oligodendrocytes, the primary myelin-producing cells in the central nervous system.

 JCV is found by PCR in PML patients' cerebral spinal fluid. Moreover, JCV can be found in brain biopsy tissues using in situ DNA hybridization or PCR.

There is currently no vaccination or particular therapy for JCV infection.
Prevention Notes: PML is a condition that defines AIDS.