Plasma of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients React to the Culture of a Mycovirus Containing Aspergillus flavus

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children and is also seen in adults. Currently, no plasma-based test for the detection of ALL is available. We have cultured the home of a patient with ALL and isolated a mycovirus containing Aspergillus flavus. This culture was subjected to electron microscopy, purification, and mass spectrometry. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique, plasma of patients with ALL and long-term survivors of this disease were tested for antibodies, utilizing supernatant of the culture of this organism. The results were compared with 3 groups of controls, including healthy individuals, patients with sickle cell disease, and solid tumors. Using electron microscopy, the isolated A. flavus contained mycovirus particles. In chemical analysis, this organism did not produce any aflatoxin. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique, the supernatant of the culture of the mycovirus containing A. flavus could differentiate ALL patients from each group of controls (P<0.001). These studies provide a new technique for the detection of ALL and may add information for future research regarding leukemogenesis.

Etiology of Acute Leukemia. A Review

“…The report also indicates that in limited studies, when cultures with and without EBV were irradiated, this significantly had increased co-expression of CD10/CD19, which is one of the characteristic cell surface phenotypes in the ALL [139]. Considering the two-hit theory for the development of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, it is postulated that the mycovirus containing Aspergillus Flavus may provide a consistent organism in the mechanism of leukemogenesis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia [138].…”

“…Infections, including bacterial, viral and fungal agents alone, and in conjunction with genetic mutations, have been implied in leukemogenesis. Infections have been suspected and reported to be associated with the development of cancer in general, and acute leukemias in particular, save for some recent reports, generally an assumption without availability of a consistent agent [136][137][138][139]. The impact of a variety of infectious organisms including Epstein-Barr virus, herpesvirus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), SARS, COVD-19, Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1) and others in the development of leukemia in certain patients have been hypothesized and explored [90,136,[140][141][142][143][144][145][146][147][148][149][150].…”

“…In recent reports, a Aspergillus Flavus species, isolated from the home of a patient with ALL, by electron microscopy examination was found to contain mycovirus within the body of the organism and its culture supernatant [138,139]. In chemical analysis, this organism was found not to produce any aflatoxin.…”

“…Using culture of this mycovirus containing Aspergillus flavus with ELISA technique, plasma of patients with ALL in full remission and long-term survivors were found to have antibody to this organism. By this test, it was found possible to distinguish patients with ALL in remission from normal controls as well as those with sickle cell disease and solid tumors [138]. In a related study, exposure of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBC) from patients with ALL in complete remission to the products of the culture of the above mycovirus containing Aspergillus flavus had reproduced cell surface phenotypes and genetic markers characteristic of ALL.…”

“…While a number of genetic mutations are proposed, no infectious agent or category has been suggested. Recent reports suggest a mycovirus containing Aspergillus flavus as one of the possible candidates for the infection [138,139].…”