Antibodies to Merkel cell polyomavirus correlate to presence of viral DNA in the skin.
cross_sectional · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 21450999.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1093/infdis/jiq173.
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Abstract
To validate whether Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) serology correlates with MCV infection, we compared real-time polymerase chain reaction results for MCV DNA on fresh-frozen biopsy specimens from various skin lesions and healthy skin from 434 patients to MCV serology results using viruslike particles (VLPs) and MCV neutralization assays. Sixty-five percent of participants were MCV seropositive and 18% were MCV DNA positive. The presence of antibodies was correlated with the presence of virus DNA (odds ratio, 27.85 [95% confidence interval, 6.6-166.5]), with 97% of patients who tested positive for MCV DNA being MCV seropositive. VLP antibody levels correlated to neutralization titers (r=.72), and high antibody levels correlated to high MCV load (P<.01).
Medical subject headings
- Antibodies, Viral
- DNA, Viral
- Polyomavirus
- Polyomavirus Infections
- Skin
- Tumor Virus Infections