Human cytomegalovirus infection in Iranian glioma patients correlates with aging and tumor aggressiveness.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), as a ubiquitous and opportunistic virus, is a matter for consideration in broad-spectrum diseases, specifically in immunocompromised individuals. In recent decades, many studies that have evaluated the role of HCMV in inflammation and malignancies, especially in high-grade gliomas, have reported inconsistent results. Thus, this study was conducted to analyze 97 primary gliomas for human CMV UL83 gene and protein through TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The results were positive for the UL83 gene and pp65 protein in 71% and 24% of samples, respectively. The frequency of HCMV was significantly higher in glioblastomas than other glioma grades (P < .01 and P < .05 for the UL83 gene and protein, respectively). In addition, the association between the prevalence of HCMV and aging strengthened the virus reactivation hypothesis in gliomas. In conclusion, a high frequency of HCMV infection was found in gliomas that correlated with tumor aggressiveness and age. This study recommends a thorough investigation to determine HCMV infection in gliomas to improve the existing knowledge of its role in glial tumors, its prognostic value, and possible efficient antiviral target therapy.