Role of Human Polyomaviruses in Respiratory Tract Disease in Young Children

Abstract

KI virus was detected in respiratory secretions of 8/367 (2.2%) symptomatic and 0/96 asymptomatic children (p = 0.215). WU virus was detected in 26/367 (7.1%) of symptomatic children and 6/96 (6.3%) asymptomatic children (p = 1.00). These human polyomaviruses may not independently cause respiratory tract disease in young children. I n 2007, 2 new human polyomaviruses, KI virus (KIV)and WU virus (WUV), were identifi ed by molecular screening of respiratory secretions from children <2 years of age with symptomatic respiratory tract disease (1,2). Both viruses have since been detected in asymptomatic children and in those concurrently infected with other respiratory viruses, suggesting that KIV and WUV may not cause respiratory tract disease (3-5). To further understand the epidemiology of these viruses in young children and to clarify their association with symptomatic respiratory tract infections in this age group, we screened respiratory specimens from both asymptomatic and symptomatic children for the presence of KIV and WUV. The StudyRespiratory specimens from 2 groups of children (all <2 years of age) were collected in 2004 and screened for KIV and WUV. The fi rst group comprised symptomatic children whose respiratory specimens were submitted to the Clinical Virology Laboratory, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut. These respiratory specimens tested negative for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfl uenza viruses (types 1-3), infl uenza viruses A and B, and adenovirus by direct fl uorescence antibody assay. The second group comprised asymptomatic children at the hospital-affi liated pediatric clinic for well-child care. Nucleic acids were extracted from each specimen by using QIAamp nucleic acid purifi cation kits (QIAGEN, Valencia, CA, USA). Samples were screened by nested PCR for both KIV and WUV (for WUV, the fi rst primers were those used by Gaynor et. al., and the nested primers were 5′-GCGCATCAAGAGGCACAGCTACTATTTC-3′ and 5′-GCGCCTAGCCTGTGAACTCCATC-3′). The G/C clamp for each primer is underlined. (1,2). Positive and negative controls were included in each set of PCRs. All PCR products were sequenced. Any child who had multiple specimens with positive results was included once in the total number of children whose specimens tested positive for a given virus.Specimens from symptomatic children who tested positive for KIV or WUV were also screened for human bocavirus (HBoV); human metapneumovirus (hMPV); human coronaviruses (HCoV) 229E, NL63, and HKU1; and human picornaviruses (including rhinoviruses [HRV]) by using previously described methods (6-12). To screen for human parainfl uenzavirus type 4 and HCoV OC43, RNA extraction and reverse transcription were performed as previously described (7). The primers used to amplify hPIV4 were 5′-GCGAGAGGATCCAGCTGGTGGC-3′ and 5′-GCGCCCTAATCTTTCCTGTTGATGG-3′. The primers for HCoV-OC43 were 5′-GCATAAGCCCC GCCAGAAGAGGAG-3′ and 5′-GCGCTGACGCTGTG GTTTTGGACT-3′.We tested 423 direct fl uorescent antibody-negative respiratory specimens, from 367 children,...

A cornucopia of human polyomaviruses

“…However, the site of infection, the original site of polyomavirus identification and the distant organs in which the virus can be detected might be distinct and difficult to relate to any pathophysiology 92 . Although several of the new human polyomaviruses have been isolated from nasopharyngeal or stool samples, correlations between infection and respiratory symptoms or diarrhoeal illness remain circumstantial 93–99 . The data remain confounded by the presence of numerous viral agents in the samples studied, such that no single entity has been singled out as the causative agent 100–103 .…”

Respiratory Viruses in Bronchiolitis and Their Link to Recurrent Wheezing and Asthma

“…51 The clinical relevance of these two polyomaviruses is uncertain. 52 Furthermore, there is conflicting literature about the relevance of bacterial coinfection in children who have viral bronchiolitis, especially those children requiring intensive care. [53][54][55][56] Although myriad infectious causes are associated with bronchiolitis, it remains unclear if the viral cause of a child's bronchiolitis illness is clinically relevant for either the short-or long-term care of the individual child.…”

Merkel Cell Polyomavirus

“…26,29 Similarly, KI polyomavirus has also been isolated from lung secretions, but has not been linked to a specific disease or tumor. 42 Nonetheless, given the similar histology between MCC and small cell carcinoma of the lung, as well as the presence of WU and KI polyomaviruses in respiratory secretions, we used PCR to test all the cases in our series for the presence of WU and KI polyomaviruses. None of the 74 cases showed evidence of either virus (data not shown).…”