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Updated: Jul 20, 2026
Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infection and Detection
Published on: February 7, 2019
No evidence of Epstein-Barr virus association with Merkel cell carcinoma
Maren Shaw1, Simon Warren, Pamela Groben
1Department of Dermatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7525, USA.
Background:
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive tumor of cutaneous neuroendocrine cells with a reported 13-fold increased incidence in immunocompromised patients, raising the possibility that it is driven by an oncogenic virus. Additionally, Merkel cell hyperplasia is seen in the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-driven process oral hairy leukoplakia, and EBV is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of several other malignancies.
Objective:
We tested the hypothesis that EBV is involved in MCC.
Methods:
We employed EBV-encoded RNA in situ hybridization (ISH), lytic EBV ISH, latent membrane protein 1 immunohistochemistry, and BamH1Z leftward reading frame 1 immunohistochemistry to detect and localize EBV in paraffin sections of MCC from five patients as well as seven other cutaneous tumors and positive controls for EBV infection.
Results:
Positive controls reacted appropriately. However, there was no evidence of latent or lytic EBV in any of the MCC biopsies or other cutaneous tumors.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that EBV is not associated with MCC.
