Related Experiment Videos
Murine pneumonia virus: seroepidemiological evidence of widespread human infection
Abstract:
More than 75% of a random sample of adult human sera exhibited moderate to high murine pneumonia virus (PVM)-neutralizing activity. There was no correlation between PVM-neutralizing activity and respiratory syncytial virus or parainfluenza type 3 virus-neutralizing activities of the same sera. In children the proportion of sera with moderate to high titres increased with age, indicating early exposure to infection. Seroconversion (i.e. greater than fourfold increase in titre) was observed in four of 108 paired samples of previously undiagnosed respiratory infections. These observations suggest that the human population is frequently exposed to infection with PVM or an antigenically related virus. The sera of patients suffering from Paget's disease of bone tended to exhibit higher than normal PVM-neutralizing titres in comparison with the sera of patients with other bone diseases. Thus, PVM (or an antigenically related virus) resembles some other parainfluenza viruses in being circumstantially associated with Paget's disease of bone.
Insights
Most adults show high neutralizing activity against murine pneumonia virus (PVM), suggesting frequent human exposure. This PVM activity is linked to Paget
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Public Health
Background:
- Murine pneumonia virus (PVM) is a paramyxovirus that can cause respiratory illness.
- Understanding human exposure and immune responses to PVM is crucial for public health.
- Previous studies have not fully elucidated the prevalence of PVM infection in the human population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of PVM-neutralizing antibodies in adult human sera.
- To explore the relationship between PVM exposure and other respiratory viruses.
- To examine potential associations between PVM activity and Paget's disease of bone.
Main Methods:
- Sera from a random sample of adult humans were tested for PVM-neutralizing activity.
- Neutralizing activities against respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza type 3 virus were also assessed.
- Paired sera from patients with undiagnosed respiratory infections were analyzed for seroconversion.
Main Results:
- Over 75% of adult sera demonstrated moderate to high PVM-neutralizing activity.
- No correlation was found between PVM activity and neutralizing activity against RSV or PIV3.
- PVM-neutralizing titers were higher in patients with Paget's disease compared to other bone diseases.
Conclusions:
- The human population is frequently exposed to PVM or antigenically related viruses.
- PVM infection appears to occur early in life, as indicated by increasing antibody titers with age in children.
- PVM may be circumstantially associated with Paget's disease of bone, similar to other parainfluenza viruses.