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KI polyomavirus detected in respiratory tract specimens from patients in St. Louis, Missouri

David J Hormozdi1, Max Q Arens, Binh-Minh Le

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. dhormozdi@gmail.com

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|December 2, 2009
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

KI polyomavirus (KIPyV) and WU polyomavirus (WUPyV) are found in respiratory secretions, but this study found no link to respiratory illness. KIPyV infections showed less severe symptoms compared to RSV.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • KI polyomavirus (KIPyV) and WU polyomavirus (WUPyV) have been detected in respiratory secretions of young patients.
  • Previous evidence has not established a definitive link between KIPyV or WUPyV infections and respiratory tract disease.
  • A large-scale comparison of KIPyV-infected patients with age-matched control groups was lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between KI polyomavirus (KIPyV) infection and respiratory symptoms.
  • To compare clinical manifestations of KIPyV-positive patients with those of patients infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), WUPyV, or other common respiratory viruses.
  • To identify potential risk factors, such as immunocompromise, associated with KIPyV infection.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study analyzed 2599 respiratory samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction to detect KIPyV.
  • Clinical data from 65 KIPyV-positive cases were compared with control groups: 195 virus-negative patients and 56 WUPyV-positive patients.
  • A subset of 12 KIPyV-positive patients (sole pathogen) was matched with 36 RSV-positive patients for direct clinical comparison.

Main Results:

  • KIPyV was detected in 2.8% (72/2599) of respiratory samples; 71% of these also had another detected virus.
  • No statistically significant differences in clinical manifestations were observed between KIPyV-positive patients and common respiratory virus-negative patients.
  • KIPyV-positive patients generally presented with less severe symptoms than RSV-positive patients. KIPyV-positive patients aged 3 years or older were often immunocompromised, unlike younger infected children.

Conclusions:

  • The study did not establish a causal link between KI polyomavirus (KIPyV) infection and symptomatic respiratory disease.
  • KIPyV infection was associated with milder clinical symptoms compared to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections.
  • Age and immune status appear to be factors influencing the presentation of KIPyV infections.

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