KI, WU, and Merkel cell polyomavirus DNA was not detected in guthrie cards of children who later developed acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
BACKGROUND
Neonatal dried blood spots (Guthrie cards) have been used to demonstrate a prenatal origin of clonal leukemia-specific genetic aberrations in several subgroups of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). One hypothesis suggests that an infectious agent could initiate genetic transformation already in utero. In search for a possible viral agent, Guthrie cards were analyzed for the presence of 3 newly discovered polyomavirus Karolinska Institutet polymavirus (KIPyV), Washington University polyomavirus (WUPyV), and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV).


METHODS
Guthrie cards from 50 children who later developed ALL and 100 matched controls were collected and analyzed by standard or real-time polymerase chain reaction for the presence of the VP1 region of KIPyV, WUPyV, and MCPyV, and the LT region for MCPyV.


CONCLUSIONS
DNA from KIPyV, WUPyV, and MCPyV was not detected in neonatal blood samples from children with ALL or controls. Prenatal infections with these viruses are not likely to be etiological drivers for childhood leukemogenesis.
Department of Clinical Science, Karolinska Institutet, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Britt
B
Gustafsson
Emma
E
Honkaniemi
Shan
S
Goh
Geraldine
G
Giraud
Erik
E
Forestier
Ulrika
U
von Döbeln
Tobias
T
Allander
Tina
T
Dalianis
Gordana
G
Bogdanovic
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D059965:Merkel cell polyomavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*; D000097764:ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein
D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; C102421:TEL-AML1 fusion protein; D000097764:ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein