Immunological evidence of an early seroconversion to oncogenic Merkel cell polyomavirus in healthy children and young adults. Issue 4 (11th December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mazziotta, Chiara; Lanzillotti, Carmen; Govoni, Marcello; Falzoni, Simonetta; Tramarin, Maria Letizia; Mazzoni, Elisa; Tognon, Mauro; Martini, Fernanda; Rotondo, John Charles
• Is Part Of: Immunology. Volume 168:Issue 4(2023)
• Page Start: 671
• Page End: 683
• Publication Date: 2022-12-11
• Subjects: adults -- antibodies -- children -- elderly -- enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay -- immune system -- immunological assay -- MCPyV -- Merkel cell carcinoma -- Merkel cell polyomavirus -- young adults; Immunology -- Periodicals
• DOI: 10.1111/imm.13601
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0019-2805

Abstract

Abstract: Oncogenic Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) provokes a widespread and asymptomatic infection in humans. Herein, sera from healthy children and young adults (HC, n = 344) aged 0–20 years old were evaluated for anti‐MCPyV immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies employing a recently developed immunoassay. Serum MCPyV IgG data from healthy subjects (HS, n = 510) and elderlies (ES, n = 226), aged 21–65/66–100 years old, from our previous studies, were included. The anti‐MCPyV IgG and IgM rates in HC sera were 40.7% and 29.7%, respectively. A lower prevalence of anti‐MCPyV IgGs was found in HC aged 0–5 years old (13%) compared to 6–10 (52.3%), 11–15 (60.5%) and 16–20 years old (61.6%) cohorts. Age‐stratified HCs exhibited similar anti‐MCPyV IgM rates (27.9%–32.9%). Serological profiles indicated that anti‐MCPyV IgGs and IgMs had low optical densities (ODs) during the first years of life, while IgM ODs appeared to decrease throughout young adulthood. A lower anti‐MCPyV IgGs rate was found in HC (40.7%) than HS (61.8%) and ES (63.7%). Upon the 5‐years range age‐stratification, a lower anti‐MCPyV IgGs rate was found in the younger HC cohort aged 0–5 years old compared to the remaining older HC/HS/ES cohorts (52.3%–72%). The younger HC cohort exhibited the lowest anti‐MCPyV IgG ODs than the older cohorts. Low anti‐MCPyV IgMs rates and ODs were found in the 21–25 (17.5%) and 26–30 (7.7%) years old cohorts. Our data indicate that, upon an early‐in‐life seroconversion, the seropositivity for oncogenic MCPyV peaks in late childhood/young adulthood and remains at high prevalence and relatively stable throughout life. Abstract : Herein, sera from healthy children and young adults (HC, n = 344) aged 0–20 years old were evaluated for anti‐Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies employing a recently developed immunoassay, while MCPyV IgG data from healthy subjects (HS, n = 548) and elderlies (ES, n = 226), aged 21–65/66–100 years old, from our previous studies, were included. Our data indicate that, upon an early‐in‐life seroconversion, the seropositivity for oncogenic MCPyV peaks in late childhood/young adulthood and remains at high prevalence and relatively stable throughout life.