Laboratory of Translational Genomics, Ruddy Canadian Cardiovascular Genetics Centre, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4W7, Canada.
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.
Viruses. 2022 Mar 9;14(3):559. doi: 10.3390/v14030559.
Human breast cancer incidence varies by geographic location. More than 20 years ago, we proposed that zoonotic transmission of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) from the western European house mouse, , might account for the regional differences in breast cancer incidence. In the intervening years, several developments provide additional support for this hypothesis, including the limited impact of genetic factors for breast cancer susceptibility revealed by genome-wide association studies and the strong effect of antiretroviral therapy to reduce breast cancer incidence. At the same time, economic globalization has further expanded the distribution of to Asia, leading to a significant increase in breast cancer incidence in this region. Here, we revisit this evidence and provide an update to the MMTV zoonotic hypothesis for human breast cancer at a time when the world is recovering from the global COVID-19 zoonotic pandemic. We present evidence that mouse population outbreaks are correlated with spikes in breast cancer incidence in Australia and New Zealand and that globalization has increased the range of and MMTV. Given the success of global vaccination campaigns for HPV to eradicate cervical cancer, a similar strategy for MMTV may be warranted. Until breast cancer incidence is reduced by such an approach, zoonotic transmission of MMTV from mice to humans as an etiologic factor for breast cancer will remain controversial.
人类乳腺癌的发病率因地理位置而异。20 多年前，我们提出，从西欧家鼠传播而来的鼠乳腺肿瘤病毒（MMTV）可能是乳腺癌发病率地区差异的原因。在这期间，有几个新的发展为这一假说提供了更多的支持，包括全基因组关联研究揭示的乳腺癌易感性的遗传因素的影响有限，以及抗逆转录病毒疗法对降低乳腺癌发病率的强烈作用。与此同时，经济全球化进一步扩大了 在亚洲的分布，导致该地区乳腺癌发病率显著上升。在全球 COVID-19 人畜共患病大流行刚刚开始复苏的背景下，我们重新审视了这一证据，并更新了 MMTV 人畜共患病假说与人类乳腺癌之间的关系。我们提供的证据表明，在澳大利亚和新西兰，鼠群爆发与乳腺癌发病率的飙升有关，而全球化增加了 和 MMTV 的传播范围。鉴于全球 HPV 疫苗接种运动根除宫颈癌取得了成功，针对 MMTV 的类似策略可能是合理的。在这种方法降低乳腺癌发病率之前，MMTV 从老鼠到人之间的人畜共患病传播仍将是一个有争议的乳腺癌病因。
