Trial Information

Identification of Novel Viruses

Viral infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients.
Viruses have also been identified as the probable cause of a number of malignancies
including hepatocellular carcinoma and cervical carcinoma. The purpose of this study is to
identify novel viruses (or known viruses) that are associated with diseases whose etiology
is unknown. Blood samples, body fluids, or discarded tissues (e.g. previous biopsy or
autopsy material) saliva swabs, nasopharyngeal swabs, skin biopsies, or mucosal biopsies
will be obtained from patients with clinical syndromes or diseases whose etiology is
unknown. Highly sensitive assays using the polymerase chain reaction will be performed to
attempt to identify novel or known viruses that might be present in the blood, body fluids,
or tissues. Knowledge gained from this study could provide important insights into the
cause of diseases whose etiology is presently unknown.