Natalizumab-treated patients at high risk for PML persistently excrete JC polyomavirus

Sixty-three natalizumab-treated patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis were screened for JC polyomavirus (JCV) viruria. Urinary-positive patients were longitudinally sampled for up to 24 weeks. Using methods that distinguish encapsidated virus from naked viral DNA, 17.5 % of patients were found to excrete virus, consistent with the prevalence of urinary excretion in the general population. Unexpectedly, urinary excretion was predominantly seen (> 73 %) in patients with high JC antibody index (>= 2.0). Active JCV infection, therefore, tends to occur in natalizumab patients that carry a high risk factor for the development of disease, directly linking JC infection to the risk factors for PML development.