Antibodies to molluscum contagiosum virus in the general population and susceptible patients.
BACKGROUND
Since many attempts to cultivate molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) in vitro have been unsuccessful, it is difficult to prepare a large quantity of antigens. To assess the seroprevalence of antibodies against MCV in 508 subjects with or without clinical MCV infection, a truncated recombinant protein from open-reading frame MC133L was synthesized using Sendai virus expression system and applied to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as an antigen.


METHODS
Antibodies to MCV were present in 7 (58%) of 12 patients with molluscum contagiosum, 7 (6%) of 108 healthy controls, 7 (9%) of 76 with atopic dermatitis, and 7 (18%) of 39 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, although no clinical MCV infection was observed in the latter 3 groups. Of 7 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients with molluscum contagiosum, 1 (14%) was antibody positive, compared with 5 (2%) of 266 HIV-positive patients without molluscum contagiosum. Serum samples from patients with atopic dermatitis and systemic lupus erythematosus showed a higher reactivity (P<.001) than those from healthy controls, while serum samples from HIV-positive subjects showed a lower reactivity (P<. 001).


CONCLUSIONS
The humoral immune response to MCV is usually confined to patients with molluscum contagiosum and may be affected by the immunological condition of the host.
Watanabe
T
T
Dermatology Branch, Bldg 10, Room 12N238, National Cancer Institute, 10 Center Dr, MSC1908, Bethesda, MD 20892-1908 USA. tarr@box-t.nih.gov
Nakamura
K
K
Wakugawa
M
M
Kato
A
A
Nagai
Y
Y
Shioda
T
T
Iwamoto
A
A
Tamaki
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002460:Cell Line; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000821:virology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007223:Infant; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008976:Molluscum Contagiosum / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008977:Molluscum contagiosum virus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014041:Tokyo / Q000453:epidemiology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral