Recently a novel polyomavirus was discovered in a rare form of skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) (Feng et al. 1096-100). Now referred to as Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV), viral DNA has been detected in approximately 75% of these cancers (Feng et al. 1096-100);(Garneski et al.);(Becker et al.);(Kassem et al. 5009-13);(Becker et al.) and is integrated into the host cell genome. Although there are animal models of cancers caused by polyomaviruses, this is the first human polyomavirus to be implicated in cancer. To begin to characterize the prevalence of MCV in the general population and in MCC patients we developed a serology assay. We cloned the MCV viral VP1 protein from a MCC and performed multiplex serology with VP1 proteins from the five known human polyomaviruses. Antibodies reactive to MCV were detected among 40 of 76 (51.9%) controls and among 36 of 41 (87.8%) cancer patients (OR = 6.82, 95% CI 2.39 - 19.28). The antibody response was specific for MCV VP1 as there was no association of antibody reactivity to other polyomavirus types with MCC. We conclude that, as with other human polyomaviruses, infection with MCV is quite common, and the high proportion of seropositive MCC cases supports the hypothesis that this virus plays an important role in cancer development.

Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 792.

100th AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 18-22, 2009; Denver, CO