Fecal Polyomavirus Excretion in Infancy

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Human Microbiome Research
• Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Polyomaviruses are a group of DNA viruses known to infect humans.
• While some polyomaviruses cause disease, many establish persistent, asymptomatic infections.
• The early life shedding patterns and persistence sites of common human polyomaviruses remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of fecal polyomavirus shedding in 1-year-old infants.
• To determine the frequency of specific polyomaviruses, including BK virus, JC virus, and simian virus 40, in this age group.
• To explore the gastrointestinal tract as a potential site for polyomavirus persistence during early childhood.

Main Methods:

• Utilized qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for sensitive detection of viral DNA.
• Analyzed fecal specimens collected from a cohort of 1-year-old infants.
• Quantified the percentage of positive specimens and the proportion of infants shedding polyomaviruses.

Main Results:

• Polyomavirus DNA was detected in 17.8% of the 321 analyzed fecal specimens.
• A substantial proportion, 64.1% of the 39 infants, had at least one polyomavirus-positive specimen.
• BK virus, JC virus, and simian virus 40 were the targeted polyomaviruses in the fecal samples.

Conclusions:

• The high prevalence of polyomavirus detection in infant feces indicates common exposure and shedding early in life.
• These findings support the hypothesis that the human gastrointestinal tract serves as a significant site for polyomavirus persistence.
• Further research is warranted to understand the long-term implications of early-life polyomavirus gastrointestinal colonization.