Lymphotropic Polyomavirus is detected in peripheral blood from immunocompromised and healthy subjects

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Abstract

Background

Lymphotropic Polyomavirus (LPV) was isolated from a B-lymphoblastoid cell line of an African green monkey. This virus shares some characteristics with human polyomaviruses, but it is antigenically distinct from BK Virus (BKV) and JC Virus (JCV). Seroepidemiological studies revealed that human sera react in the presence of LPV antigens, and, recently, the viral genome was amplified in the peripheral blood from patients affected with HIV-related leukoencephalopathies.

Objectives

The aims of the study were to investigate and compare the presence of LPV DNA with that of JCV and BKV in different biological samples and patient groups.

Study design

LPV, JCV and BKV DNA were searched and quantified in peripheral blood and CSF from HIV+ patients and in peripheral blood from healthy subjects.

Results

The LPV genome was detected in peripheral blood of both HIV+ patients and healthy subjects, with a prevalence of 7.2% and 4.7% respectively, but not in CSF. However, its presence was less frequent than that of JCV and BKV.

Conclusions

The amplification of LPV genome from human peripheral blood confirms the fact that LPV can infect the human population. LPV DNA was amplified from patients affected with HIV-related leukoencephalopathies but also from HIV patients without neurological disorders and from healthy subjects. Therefore, the results do not support the hypothesis of an association between LPV infection and any neurological disease. However, given their high similarity, it is possible that LPV, as well as BKV and JCV, could establish latency in humans and cause disease only in rare circumstances.

Section snippets

Background

Lymphotropic Polyomavirus (LPV) was first isolated from a B-lymphoblastoid cell line of an African green monkey.1 This virus belongs to the Polyomaviridae family, that consists of small, non-enveloped DNA viruses. LPV shares morphologic features with the other known human polyomaviruses, BK Virus (BKV) and JC Virus (JCV), but it is antigenically distinct from them.2, 3 Seroepidemiological studies revealed that human sera react in the presence of LPV antigens,4, 5 and, recently, the viral genome

Objectives

The aims of the study were to examine and compare the presence of LPV, that was recently isolated from the human specimens, with that of JCV and BKV in the peripheral blood and CerebroSpinal Fluid (CSF) from HIV+ patients with and without neurological disorders and in the peripheral blood from healthy subjects.

HIV+ patients

Peripheral blood was collected from 83 HIV+ patients, referring to the Unit of General Neurology at the Mondino Hospital, Pavia, Italy and to the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy, for clinical care. The subjects included 61 males and 22 females, with a mean age of 49 years, which were enrolled into one of the four following disease groups: 11 patients were affected with PML, 16 patients were affected with Not Determined Leukoencephalopathy (NDLE), 11

Presence of LPV genome

The prevalence of LPV DNA among the HIV+ population was 7.2% (6 out of 83), with no significant differences in the distribution among PML, NDLE and NND patients, whereas the prevalence of LPV DNA among the healthy subjects was 4.7% (5 out of 105). Among NND patients two were co-infected with LPV and BKV (Table 2, panels A and B). Among OND patients, none was infected with LPV (Table 2). In addition, LPV was not detected in any of the CSF samples (data not shown).

Presence of JCV and BKV genome

JCV DNA was found in 13 out of

Discussion

We have investigated the presence of LPV genome in different clinical specimens from immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals and we have compared it with that of two well known human polyomaviruses (JCV and BKV), since, to date, the percentage of the human population exposed to LPV has not been determined.

A recent study has demonstrated that LPV seroprevalence in a wide human population was about 15% in both adult and pediatric subjects, but no evidence has been shown regarding the

Acknowledgments

Funding: This work was supported by the NIMH grant no. MH072528 and by a grant from the Italian Minister of Health (Ricerca Finalizzata 2007) to PF.

Competing interest: None declared.

Ethical approval: The study received the approval of the ethics committee of Saint Jospeh Hospital.

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