Identification of Viruses Associated With Diseases of Unknown Cause

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.