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Volume 18, Number 9—September 2012
Dispatch

Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus Virophage Seroconversion in Travelers Returning from Laos

Philippe Parola1, Aurélie Renvoisé1, Elisabeth Botelho-Nevers, Bernard La Scola, Christelle Desnues, and Didier RaoultComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Author affiliation: Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France

Main Article

Table

Biological parameters for 2 patients who seroconverted against Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus virophage after visit to Laos, 2010*

Parameter 29-year-old woman
36-year-old man
Past samples
Outpatient visit
Day 1 hospitalization
Follow-up visits
Day 1 hospitalization
Follow-up visits
2009 Aug 2010 Jan 22 2010 Jan 29 2010 Feb 6 2010 Feb 23 2010 Mar 31 2010 May 3 2010 Jan 29 2010 Feb 4 2010 Feb 23 2010 Mar 31 2010 May 3
Leukocytes, × 109/L NT 14.32 37.9 16.7 7.2 NA 6.18 23.8 13.7 8.2 NA 7.6

Neutrophils, × 109/L

 NT 5.73 2.65 2.67 3.02 NA 2.76 3.09 2.6 3.4 NA 3.9

Eosinophils, × 109/L

 NT 5.44 29.94 9.18* 0.36 NA 0.23 17.85 7.4* 1.4 NA 0.5
Hemoglobin, g/dL 8.6 7.4 7.3 7.2 6.9 NA 7.7 12.4 12.6 12.4 NA 13.1
Aspartate aminotransferase (ref <50 UI/L) NT 37 27 NA NA NA 26 43 NA NA NA NA
Alanine aminotransferase (ref <60 UI/L) NT 111 77 NA NA NA 27 68 NA NA NA NA
Alkaline phosphatase (ref <130 UI/L) NT NA 150 NA NA NA 47 263 NA NA NA NA
Gamma glutamyl transferase (ref <60 UI/L) NT 183 229 NA NA NA 16 355 NA NA NA NA
Antibody titers against Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus virophage (microimmunofluorescence)

IgG

 Neg 100 200 NT NT 100 50 400 100 50

IgM

 Neg 100 100 NT NT 0 0 100 0 0

IgA

 Neg 0 25 NT NT 0 0 0 0 0
Total antibody titers against mimivirus (microimmunofluorescence); significant threshold for total antibody titers ≥100 Neg Neg 50 NT NT 50 Neg 50 Neg Neg
Molecular test results for Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus virophage†

Blood

 NT NT Neg NT NT Neg Neg Neg Neg Neg

Saliva

 NT NT NT NT NT Neg Neg NT Neg Neg

Feces

 NT NT NT Neg NT Neg NT NT Neg Neg

Sputum

 NT NT NT NT NT NT Neg NT Neg
Molecular test results for mimivirus‡

Blood

 NT NT Neg NT NT Neg Neg Neg Neg Neg

Saliva

 NT NT NT NT NT Neg Neg NT Neg Neg

Feces

 NT NT NT Neg NT Neg NT NT Neg Neg

Sputum

 NT NT NT NT NT NT Neg NT Neg
Serologic test results

Fascioliasis

 NT NT NT NT NT NT NT NT

Hemagglutination

 NA 1,280 (>160) 640 NT Neg NT NT 320 160 160

Western blot

 NA Pos Neg NT NA NT NT Neg NA

Toxocariasis, ELISA

 NA NA 1.06 (>0.41) NT 1.01 NT NT 0.54 (>0.48) 0.36

Trichinellosis

 NT NT NT NT NT NT NT NT

ELISA

 NA Pos Pos NT Pos NT NT Pos Pos Pos

Western Blot

 NA NA NT NT Neg NT NT Pos Neg

Schistosomiasis

 NA Neg Neg NT Neg NT NT Neg Neg

*Patients returned from Laos on January 17, 2010. Treatment with praziquantel and albendazole started on February 2, 2010. Numbers in parentheses are cutoff values (i.e., values higher than cutoff values are positive). Ref, reference; APM, Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus; NT, not tested; NA, not available; neg, negative; pos, positive.
†APM virophage conventional PCR primers targeting the capsid-encoding gene included Spk_capsid_1F (5′-GTATATTGGACAGATCAAACTGGTG-3′) and Spk_capsid_30R (5′-CTCTCACCATAACCTACATT-3′). APM virophage real-time PCR primers and probe targeting the open reading frame–3 encoding gene included Sp3P (5′-TTTTTCCCTTTGAATTTCCCTCCAGCT-3′), Sp3F (5′-TGGAACAAACTTTCCTTCTGG-3′), and Sp3R (5′-AAAGATAGTAAACCGTTTGCAAAAAT-3′).
‡Giant virus real-time PCR primers and probe targeting heat shock protein 70–like protein encoding gene included MimiMama01 P (5′-CGGAATATTGCAAGTAACTGCACACGA-3′), MimiMama01 F (5′-ATCGGGATTTGAAAAAGGTC-3′), and MimiMama01 R (5′-CTTCCTTTTGCTCCCCATGT-3′).

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: August 16, 2012
Page updated: August 16, 2012
Page reviewed: August 16, 2012
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