Seroprevalence of fourteen human polyomaviruses determined in blood donors

PLoS One. 2018 Oct 23;13(10):e0206273. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206273. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The polyomavirus family currently includes thirteen human polyomavirus (HPyV) species. In immunocompromised and elderly persons HPyVs are known to cause disease, such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (JCPyV), haemorrhagic cystitis and nephropathy (BKPyV), Merkel cell carcinoma (MCPyV), and trichodysplasia spinulosa (TSPyV). Some recently discovered polyomaviruses are of still unknown prevalence and pathogenic potential. Because HPyVs infections persist and might be transferred by blood components to immunocompromised patients, we studied the seroprevalence of fourteen polyomaviruses in adult Dutch blood donors. For most polyomaviruses the observed seroprevalence was high (60-100%), sometimes slightly increasing or decreasing with age. Seroreactivity increased with age for JCPyV, HPyV6 and HPyV7 and decreased for BKPyV and TSPyV. The most recently identified polyomaviruses HPyV12, NJPyV and LIPyV showed low overall seroprevalence (~5%) and low seroreactivity, questioning their human tropism. Altogether, HPyV infections are common in Dutch blood donors, with an average of nine polyomaviruses per subject.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Blood Donors
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoassay
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Netherlands / epidemiology
  • Polyomavirus / immunology
  • Polyomavirus Infections / diagnosis
  • Polyomavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Polyomavirus Infections / virology
  • Prevalence
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G

Grants and funding

This project was supported by Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, PPO 15-04 (https://www.sanquin.org/research) to HLZ and MCWF. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.