title: Molecular epidemiology of KI and WU polyomaviruses in healthy blood donors, south-eastern France.
abstract: The epidemiology of human polyomaviruses KI (KIPyV) and WU (WUPyV) in healthy populations is described poorly in the literature. The frequency of KIPyV and WUPyV viraemia was evaluated in a cohort of blood donors from south-eastern France. Plasma samples (n=640) were investigated for the presence of KIPyV/WUPyV DNA using a conserved real-time PCR detection system (VP2 gene). Three plasma samples (3/640; ∼0.5%) exhibited a positive fluorescence signal, with a low viral load (<500 copies/ml plasma); no additional amplicons were identifiable by agarose gel analysis. Sequencing highlighted the KIPyV origin of the three amplified sequences and the occurrence of point mutations. The sustained detection of KIPyV DNA in two serial samples (9 months) was in favor of a possible persistence of the virus in blood of healthy individuals. Further studies will be needed in order to explore both the prevalence and potential clinical impact of KIPyV/WUPyV on infected hosts.
authors.affiliation: UMR 7268, Viral Emergence and Co-evolution Unit, French Blood Agency, Aix-Marseille University and CNRS, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Mhammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Touinssi
authors.forename: Vital
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Galicher
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Micco
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Biagini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D001483:Base Sequence; D001782:Blood Donors; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010949:Plasma / Q000821:virology; D011120:Polyomavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D055815:Young Adult