Isolation of Inoue-Melnick virus from colorectal carcinoma tissues.
BACKGROUND
Isolation of Inoue-Melnick virus (IMV) Type 1 from tumor tissues of patients with colorectal carcinoma in Japan was reported. A high prevalence of IMV antibodies has been found among patients with colorectal carcinoma in Buffalo, New York.


METHODS
IMV was isolated from homogenates of colorectal carcinoma and other tissues, inoculated into MRC-5 human fibroblast cultures. IMV-specific cytopathic effects were detected and titrated following 7 days of incubation in a roller-tube apparatus.


RESULTS
IMV was isolated from all nine (100%) colorectal carcinoma tissues tested and all four (100%) normal parts of colon mucosa tissues obtained from patients with cancer. Biopsy specimens of normal colon mucosa from 10 patients without colon carcinoma were negative for IMV (0%). Average infectious titers of IMV in these tissue homogenates were 4.41 for tumor tissue and 2.55 log10 tissue culture infectious dose by 50% (TCID50)/0.1 ml for colon mucosa, respectively. Most of the isolates were the IMV intermediate type.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results confirmed the production of infectious IMV in colorectal carcinoma tissues, as reported recently in Japan. The role of IMV in colorectal carcinogenesis is currently unknown.
Ito
M
M
Department of Biological Resources, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York 14263.
Rodriguez-Bigas
M A
MA
Evans
M J
MJ
Petrelli
N J
NJ
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000382:microbiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000382:microbiology; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*