Institut Pasteur, Unité d'Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département de Virologie, F-75015 Paris, France.
J Clin Virol. 2013 Sep;58(1):288-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2013.06.004. Epub 2013 Jul 2.
Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is thought to be the etiological agent of Merkel cell carcinoma, but little is known about its distribution and modes of transmission. We conducted seroepidemiological surveys in more than 1000 individuals, from two populations from Cameroon. Overall MCPyV seroprevalence was high in both populations (>75% in adults). Data from the first population, comprising mainly children, indicated that MCPyV infections mostly occurred during early childhood, after the disappearance of specific maternal antibodies. Results from the second family-based population provided evidence for familial aggregation of MCPyV infection status. We observed significant sib-sib correlation (odds ratio=3.42 [95% CI 1.27-9.19], p=0.014), particularly for siblings close together in age, and a trend for mother-child correlation (OR=2.71 [0.86-8.44], p=0.08). Overall, our results suggest that MCPyV infection is acquired through close contact, possibly involving saliva and/or the skin, especially between young siblings and between mothers and their children.
Merkel 细胞多瘤病毒（MCPyV）被认为是 Merkel 细胞癌的病因，但对其分布和传播方式知之甚少。我们在来自喀麦隆的两个人群中对 1000 多人进行了血清流行病学调查。两个人群的 MCPyV 血清阳性率均较高（成年人中>75%）。来自第一个人群（主要由儿童组成）的数据表明，MCPyV 感染主要发生在儿童早期，此时特异性母体抗体消失。来自第二个基于家庭的人群的数据提供了 MCPyV 感染状态家族聚集的证据。我们观察到兄弟姐妹之间存在显著的相关性（比值比=3.42[95%CI 1.27-9.19]，p=0.014），尤其是年龄相近的兄弟姐妹，并且存在母子相关性的趋势（OR=2.71[0.86-8.44]，p=0.08）。总体而言，我们的结果表明，MCPyV 感染是通过密切接触获得的，可能涉及唾液和/或皮肤，尤其是在年幼的兄弟姐妹之间以及母亲和孩子之间。
