Ecology of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus in Healthy Skin Among Individuals in an Asian Cohort.

Abstract

Despite the oncogenic potential of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), it has been found in the normal skin of healthy individuals; however, little is known about geographical variations in the ecology of MCPyV in this tissue. This study included 284 Japanese participants. Sun-unexposed arm and sun-exposed forehead skin swab samples were obtained and analyzed for MCPyV infection, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Phylogenetic analyses were also conducted, based on the full-length genes encoding MCPyV large T antigen and viral protein 1. This study provides the first analyses of the age-specific prevalence and levels of MCPyV infection in normal skin. Steep increases in prevalence and viral load were observed in individuals aged >40 years. MCPyV infections with a high viral load were predominantly observed in the foreheads of subjects aged >60 years, among whom a high burden of MCPyV tended to persist. Phylogenetic analyses showed that all of the gene sequences obtained in this study clustered in a major clade, suggesting the existence of an Asian/Japanese genotype. This large study suggests that MCPyV infection with high viral loads is prevalent in the sun-exposed skin of elderly adults, making it necessary to follow up this cohort for possible transformation of MCPyV to a pathogenetic form.