Seroprevalence of trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 17; no. 8; pp. 1355 - 1363
• Main Authors: van der Meijden, Els, Kazem, Siamaque, Burgers, Manda M, Janssens, Rene, Bouwes Bavinck, Jan Nico, de Melker, Hester, Feltkamp, Mariet C W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01-08-2011; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Capsid Proteins - immunology; Child; Child, Preschool; Epidemiology; Health aspects; Humans; immunoassay; Immunoassay - methods; Immunocompromised Host; Infant; Infection; Kidney Transplantation - adverse effects; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Middle Aged; Netherlands - epidemiology; polyomavirus; Polyomavirus - immunology; Polyomavirus Infections - epidemiology; Polyomavirus Infections - virology; Seroepidemiologic Studies; seroprevalence; Skin Diseases - epidemiology; Skin Diseases - virology; trichodysplasia spinulosa; trichodysplasia spinulosa–associated virus; Tumor Virus Infections - epidemiology; Tumor Virus Infections - virology; Viral proteins; viruses; Young Adult; Netherlands
• DOI: 10.3201/eid1708.110114
• EISSN: 1080-6059
• ISSN: 1080-6040

We identified a new polyomavirus in skin lesions from a patient with trichodysplasia spinulosa (TS). Apart from TS being an extremely rare disease, little is known of its epidemiology. On the basis of knowledge regarding other polyomaviruses, we anticipated that infections with trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus (TSV) occur frequently and become symptomatic only in immunocompromised patients. To investigate this hypothesis, we developed and used a Luminex-based TSV viral protein 1 immunoassay, excluded cross-reactivity with phylogenetically related Merkel cell polyomavirus, and measured TSV seroreactivity. Highest reactivity was found in a TS patient. In 528 healthy persons in the Netherlands, a wide range of seroreactivities was measured and resulted in an overall TSV seroprevalence of 70% (range 10% in small children to 80% in adults). In 80 renal transplant patients, seroprevalence was 89%. Infection with the new TSV polyomavirus is common and occurs primarily at a young age.