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Merkel cell polyomavirus IgG antibody levels are associated with progression to AIDS among HIV-infected individuals

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Abstract

The association of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) in immunocompromised individuals has been revealed in a number of surveys. The study of MCPyV specific antibody titers and viral loads in such patients has a great attraction for research groups interested in viral reactivation. In this cross-sectional study to evaluate MCPyV antibody titer, DNA prevalence and viral load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), we examined 205 HIV-1 infected patients and 100 un-infected controls. The HIV-1 infected patients divided into two groups (HIV/AIDS and non-AIDS) according to their CD4 status. Total IgG antibody titer against MCPyV was analyzed by virus like particle (VLP)-based enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Presence of MCPyV-DNA in subject’s PBMCs was examined by quantitative real-time PCR assay. Levels of anti-MCPyV IgG in HIV/AIDS patients were significantly higher than those in non-AIDS HIV-infected and control subjects (p value = <0.001). The prevalence rate of MCPyV-DNA in PBMCs of HIV/AIDS, non-AIDS HIV-infected and un-infected controls were 17%, 16%, and 14% respectively. The MCPyV viral load among the groups ranged between 0.15 to 2.9 copies/103cells (median, 1.9 copies/103cells), with no significant difference between the studied populations (p value = 0.3).

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the supervisor and staff of Keyvan virology laboratory. Funding was provided by Iran University of Medical Sciences (Grant No. 26059).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Lab Technology Department, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Rouhollah Vahabpour

  2. Department of Dermatology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Nasimi

  3. Department of Molecular and Cellular sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Niloofar Naderi

  4. Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran

    Mostafa Salehi-Vaziri

  5. Department of Virology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran

    Nasir Mohajel

  6. Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

    Farzin Sadeghi

  7. Department of Virology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Junction of Shahid Hemmat and Shahid Chamran Expressways, P.O. Box: 15785-6171, Tehran, 1449614535, Iran

    Hossein Keyvani & Seyed Hamidreza Monavari

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  1. Rouhollah Vahabpour
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  2. Maryam Nasimi
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  8. Seyed Hamidreza Monavari
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Correspondence to Seyed Hamidreza Monavari.

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The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

This study followed the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the local ethics committee of the Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Vahabpour, R., Nasimi, M., Naderi, N. et al. Merkel cell polyomavirus IgG antibody levels are associated with progression to AIDS among HIV-infected individuals. Arch Virol 162, 963–969 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-016-3186-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-016-3186-z

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