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Published on: July 22, 2012
Frequent detection of polyomaviruses in stool samples from hospitalized children
John A Vanchiere1, Roger K Nicome, Jewel M Greer
1Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. johnv@bcm.tmc.edu
Insights
Polyomaviruses, including BK virus (BKV), are commonly shed in the stool of hospitalized children. This suggests that fecal-oral transmission may be a key route for BKV infection in early life.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Molecular Epidemiology
Background:
- BK virus (BKV) infection is common in early life, but its transmission route remains unclear.
- Investigating polyomavirus shedding in stool as a potential source of BKV exposure.
- Understanding BKV transmission is crucial for public health, especially in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of polyomavirus shedding in pediatric stool samples.
- To test the hypothesis that fecal shedding of polyomaviruses contributes to BKV transmission.
- To identify specific polyomaviruses (BKV, JCV, SV40) present in pediatric fecal samples.
Main Methods:
- Collected 120 stool and rectal swab samples from 99 hospitalized children.
- Utilized a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting the large T antigen gene of polyomaviruses.
- Confirmed specific viral detection through DNA sequence analysis of PCR amplicons.
Main Results:
- Polyomavirus DNA was detected in 45.0% of samples (54/120).
- 46.5% of patients (46/99) had at least one positive sample, with 38.4% positive for BKV and 8.1% for SV40.
- JC virus (JCV) was not detected; no association found between shedding and clinical factors.
Conclusions:
- Polyomaviruses are frequently shed in the stool of hospitalized children.
- Fecal shedding of BKV suggests a potential role in fecal-oral transmission.
- Findings support the hypothesis that fecal-oral route contributes to widespread BKV infection.
Background:
Infection with BK virus (BKV) generally occurs early during life, but its mode of transmission has not been clearly defined. We tested the hypothesis that polyomavirus shedding in stool may be a source of BKV exposure.METHODS. Pediatric stool and rectal swab samples were tested for the presence of polyomavirus DNA by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay that could detect a conserved region in the large T antigen gene of BKV, JC virus (JCV), and simian virus 40 (SV40). The specific viruses detected by this assay were confirmed by DNA sequence analysis of the PCR amplicons.Results. Of 120 samples collected from 99 patients, 54 (45.0%) were positive for polyomavirus DNA. Of the 99 patients, 46 (46.5%) had at least 1 positive sample, with 38 (38.4%) positive for BKV and 8 (8.1%) positive for SV40. JCV was not detected. There was no association between polyomavirus fecal shedding and age, sex, race/ethnicity, immune status, or symptoms of gastrointestinal disease in the children studied. The BKV strains detected displayed polymorphisms in the T antigen sequence.Conclusions. Polyomaviruses are frequently present in stool samples from hospitalized children. These findings suggest that fecal-oral transmission of BKV may play a role in the ubiquity of infection.
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