title: Antibodies to molluscum contagiosum virus in the general population and susceptible patients.
abstract: 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.
authors: Dermatology Branch, Bldg 10, Room 12N238, National Cancer Institute, 10 Center Dr, MSC1908, Bethesda, MD 20892-1908 USA. tarr@box-t.nih.gov
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Watanabe
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Nakamura
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Wakugawa
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Kato
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Nagai
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Shioda
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Iwamoto
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Tamaki
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral