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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2009, p. 2388-2391, Vol. 47, No. 8
0095-1137/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.02472-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Polyomavirus Shedding in the Stool of Healthy Adults{triangledown}

John A. Vanchiere,1,3* Suhaib Abudayyeh,2 Christina M. Copeland,3 Lee B. Lu,2 David Y. Graham,2,4 and Janet S. Butel4

Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases,1 Department of Medicine,2 Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas,4 Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana3

Received 23 December 2008/ Returned for modification 14 March 2009/ Accepted 22 May 2009

We recently reported the frequent detection of polyomaviruses (BK virus [BKV] or simian virus 40 [SV40]) in 46% of stool samples from hospitalized children. In order to determine if adults exhibit fecal shedding of polyomavirus, single stool specimens from healthy adults were evaluated by PCR. Overall, 20 (18.2%) of 110 specimens were positive for human polyomaviruses: 9 with BKV, 9 with JC virus (JCV), 1 with SV40, and 1 with both JCV and SV40. Among the 94 subjects without immune compromise, 17 (18.1%) were excreting polyomaviruses. This shedding frequency in adults was significantly lower than that observed in children (P < 0.001). These findings support the hypothesis that the gastrointestinal tract may be a site of polyomavirus persistence, and they suggest a fecal-oral route of viral transmission.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Section of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, #5-303, Shreveport, LA 71130. Phone: (318) 675-6081. Fax: (318) 675-6059. E-mail: jvanch{at}lsuhsc.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 3 June 2009.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2009, p. 2388-2391, Vol. 47, No. 8
0095-1137/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.02472-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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