Merkel cell polyomavirus IgG antibody levels are associated with progression to AIDS among HIV-infected individuals

• Published in: Archives of virology Vol. 162; no. 4; pp. 963 - 969
• Main Authors: Vahabpour, Rouhollah, Nasimi, Maryam, Naderi, Niloofar, Salehi-Vaziri, Mostafa, Mohajel, Nasir, Sadeghi, Farzin, Keyvani, Hossein, Monavari, Seyed Hamidreza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.04.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - blood; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - immunology; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - pathology; Adult; AIDS; Antibodies; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Carcinoma, Merkel Cell - blood; Carcinoma, Merkel Cell - immunology; Carcinoma, Merkel Cell - pathology; Carcinoma, Merkel Cell - virology; Cell division; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease Progression; DNA; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Enzymes; Female; Genomes; HIV; HIV infections; HIV-1 - genetics; HIV-1 - immunology; HIV-1 - physiology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Humans; immunocompromised population; immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin G - immunology; Infectious Diseases; Lentivirus; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - immunology; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - virology; Male; Medical Microbiology; Merkel cell polyomavirus - genetics; Merkel cell polyomavirus - immunology; Merkel cell polyomavirus - physiology; mononuclear leukocytes; Original Article; patients; Polyomaviridae; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; Retroviridae; Serology; Skin cancer; surveys; Viral infections; Viral Load; Virology; viruses; Young Adult; Iran; Recombinant Bacmid; Merkel Cell Carcinoma; Human Polyomavirus; Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Sample; Merkel Cell Polyomavirus
• ISSN: 0304-8608; 1432-8798; 1432-8798
• DOI: 10.1007/s00705-016-3186-z

The association of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCP y V) with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) in immunocompromised individuals has been revealed in a number of surveys. The study of MCP y V specific antibody titers and viral loads in such patients has a great attraction for research groups interested in viral reactivation. In this cross-sectional study to evaluate MCP y V antibody titer, DNA prevalence and viral load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), we examined 205 HIV-1 infected patients and 100 un-infected controls. The HIV-1 infected patients divided into two groups (HIV/AIDS and non-AIDS) according to their CD4 status. Total IgG antibody titer against MCP y V was analyzed by virus like particle (VLP)-based enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Presence of MCP y V-DNA in subject’s PBMCs was examined by quantitative real-time PCR assay. Levels of anti-MCP y V IgG in HIV/AIDS patients were significantly higher than those in non-AIDS HIV-infected and control subjects ( p value   =  <0.001). The prevalence rate of MCP y V-DNA in PBMCs of HIV/AIDS, non-AIDS HIV-infected and un-infected controls were 17%, 16%, and 14% respectively. The MCP y V viral load among the groups ranged between 0.15 to 2.9 copies/10 3 cells (median, 1.9 copies/10 3 cells), with no significant difference between the studied populations ( p value   =   0.3 ).