Molecular epidemiology of KI and WU polyomaviruses in healthy blood donors, south‐eastern France

The epidemiology of human polyomaviruses KI (KIPyV) and WU (WUPyV) in healthy populations is described poorly in the literature. The frequency of KIPyV and WUPyV viraemia was evaluated in a cohort of blood donors from south‐eastern France. Plasma samples (n = 640) were investigated for the presence of KIPyV/WUPyV DNA using a conserved real‐time PCR detection system (VP2 gene). Three plasma samples (3/640; ∼0.5%) exhibited a positive fluorescence signal, with a low viral load (<500 copies/ml plasma); no additional amplicons were identifiable by agarose gel analysis. Sequencing highlighted the KIPyV origin of the three amplified sequences and the occurrence of point mutations. The sustained detection of KIPyV DNA in two serial samples (9 months) was in favor of a possible persistence of the virus in blood of healthy individuals. Further studies will be needed in order to explore both the prevalence and potential clinical impact of KIPyV/WUPyV on infected hosts. J. Med. Virol. 85:1444–1446, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[1]  M. Feltkamp,et al.  From Stockholm to Malawi: recent developments in studying human polyomaviruses. , 2013, The Journal of general virology.

[2]  F. P. Câmara,et al.  Shedding of polyomavirus in the saliva of immunocompetent individuals , 2013, Journal of medical virology.

[3]  Mahmud Tareq Hassan Khan,et al.  Genome analysis of the new human polyomaviruses , 2012, Reviews in medical virology.

[4]  M. Comar,et al.  Secondary lymphoid tissue as an important site for WU polyomavirus infection in immunocompetent children , 2011, Journal of medical virology.

[5]  J. Kónya,et al.  Prevalence of WU and KI polyomaviruses in plasma, urine, and respiratory samples from renal transplant patients , 2011, Journal of medical virology.

[6]  M. Ciccozzi,et al.  The novel KI, WU, MC polyomaviruses: possible human pathogens? , 2011, The new microbiologica.

[7]  M. Ciccozzi,et al.  KI and WU Polyomaviruses and CD4+ Cell Counts in HIV-1–infected Patients, Italy , 2010, Emerging infectious diseases.

[8]  J. Schubert,et al.  High prevalence of antibodies against polyomavirus WU, polyomavirus KI, and human bocavirus in German blood donors , 2010, BMC infectious diseases.

[9]  G. Palù,et al.  Human KI and WU polyomavirus infection in immunocompromised subjects. , 2009, Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology.

[10]  David Wang,et al.  Serologic Evidence of Frequent Human Infection with WU and KI Polyomaviruses , 2009, Emerging infectious diseases.

[11]  P. Simmonds,et al.  Reactivation and mutation of newly discovered WU, KI, and Merkel cell carcinoma polyomaviruses in immunosuppressed individuals. , 2009, The Journal of infectious diseases.

[12]  G. Socié,et al.  Polyomaviruses KI and WU in Immunocompromised Patients with Respiratory Disease , 2009, Emerging Infectious Diseases.

[13]  Q. Jin,et al.  WU Polyomavirus in Fecal Specimens of Children with Acute Gastroenteritis, China , 2009, Emerging infectious diseases.

[14]  P. Gallian,et al.  Human Parvovirus 4 in Kidney Transplant Patients, France , 2008, Emerging infectious diseases.

[15]  David Wang,et al.  WU Polyomavirus in Children, Canada , 2007, Emerging infectious diseases.

[16]  P. Simmonds,et al.  No evidence for an association between infections with WU and KI polyomaviruses and respiratory disease , 2007, Journal of Clinical Virology.

[17]  E. Hwang,et al.  WU Polyomavirus in Children with Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infections, South Korea , 2007, Emerging infectious diseases.

[18]  D. Brennan,et al.  Identification of a Novel Polyomavirus from Patients with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections , 2007, PLoS pathogens.

[19]  Tobias Allander,et al.  Identification of a Third Human Polyomavirus , 2007, Journal of Virology.