Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 17, Number 8—August 2011
Research

Asymptomatic Primary Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infection among Adults

Yanis L. Tolstov, Alycia Knauer, Jian Guo Chen, Thomas W. Kensler, Lawrence A. Kingsley1, Patrick S. Moore1, and Yuan Chang1Comments to Author 
Author affiliations: Author affiliations: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (Y.L. Tolstov, A. Knauer, T.W. Kensler, L.A. Kingsley, P.S. Moore, Y. Chang); Qidong Liver Cancer Institute, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China (J.G. Chen); Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA (T.W. Kensler)

Main Article

Figure 3

Representative patterns of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) seroconversion among participants in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Most participants showed MCV immunoglobulin (Ig) M (green line) and IgG (blue line) patterns similar to patient 1 (A) (MCV IgM peak immediately preceding IgG seroconversion) or patient 2 (B) (MCV IgM and IgG are concordant). For patient 3 (C), no IgM peak was detected during MCV IgG seroconversion. Delayed MCV IgG seroconversion, as seen

Figure 3. Representative patterns of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) seroconversion among participants in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Most participants showed MCV immunoglobulin (Ig) M (green line) and IgG (blue line) patterns similar to patient 1 (A) (MCV IgM peak immediately preceding IgG seroconversion) or patient 2 (B) (MCV IgM and IgG are concordant). For patient 3 (C), no IgM peak was detected during MCV IgG seroconversion. Delayed MCV IgG seroconversion, as seen with patient 4 (D), could also occur 1–2 years after an initial IgM spike. The black line represents the 0.2 optical density threshold value for MCV IgG positivity. The specificity of this test is shown by MCV virus-like particle (VLP) competition (red line) and BK virus (BKV) competition (gold line), in which MCV IgG titers are measured after plasma are preincubated with VLP antigen from the respective viruses. MCV IgG reactivity is markedly reduced by MCV competition but not BKV competition.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: August 15, 2011
Page updated: August 15, 2011
Page reviewed: August 15, 2011
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external