Quantitative detection of Merkel cell virus in human tissues and possible mode of transmission

Merkel Cell Virus (MCV) is a newly discovered polyomavirus, recently found in a rare skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). However, MCV has also been detected in some normal tissue samples. We tested and compared the relative quantity of the MCV in a set of diverse human tissue samples with the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of cancer 2010-06, Vol.126 (12), p.2991-2996
Main Authors: Loyo, Myriam, Guerrero‐Preston, Rafael, Brait, Mariana, Hoque, Mohmammad O., Chuang, Alice, Kim, Myoung S., Sharma, Rajni, Liégeois, Nanette J., Koch, Wayne M., Califano, Joseph A., Westra, William H., Sidransky, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Capsid Proteins - genetics
Carcinoma, Merkel Cell - diagnosis
Carcinoma, Merkel Cell - genetics
Carcinoma, Merkel Cell - virology
DNA, Viral - analysis
DNA, Viral - genetics
Hepatitis A virus
Humans
infectious agents and cancer
Merkel cell carcinoma
Merkel cell virus
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polyomavirus
Polyomavirus - genetics
Polyomavirus - isolation & purification
Polyomavirus - pathogenicity
Polyomavirus Infections - diagnosis
Polyomavirus Infections - transmission
Polyomavirus Infections - virology
Tissue Distribution
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Summary:Merkel Cell Virus (MCV) is a newly discovered polyomavirus, recently found in a rare skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). However, MCV has also been detected in some normal tissue samples. We tested and compared the relative quantity of the MCV in a set of diverse human tissue samples with the MCC samples. The levels of MCV in MCCs were over 60 times higher than the highest values in all other tissues. Low quantities of MCV were detected in diverse tissue samples independently of malignant or benign histologic status. Higher levels of the virus were found in the upper aerodigestive tract, digestive system, and saliva compared to the lung and genitourinary system samples. These results confirm that MCV is widespread in the human body and suggest a possible fecal‐oral transmission route similar to the Hepatitis A virus. Despite widespread presence of the virus, it appears that only neuroendocrine skin cells are susceptible to transformation by MCV.
ISSN:0020-7136
1097-0215
DOI:10.1002/ijc.24737