First description of Merkel Cell polyomavirus DNA detection in a patient with Stevens-Johnson syndrome

• Published in: Journal of medical virology Vol. 85; no. 5; pp. 918 - 923
• Main Authors: Maximova, Natalia, Granzotto, Marilena, Kiren, Valentina, Zanon, Davide, Comar, Manola
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.05.2013; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Blood - virology; bone marrow transplantation; cidofovir; Cluster Analysis; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA, Viral - chemistry; DNA, Viral - genetics; DNA, Viral - isolation & purification; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Italy; Medical sciences; Merkel cell polyomavirus; Merkel cell polyomavirus - genetics; Merkel cell polyomavirus - isolation & purification; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Phylogeny; Polyomavirus; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Skin - pathology; Skin - virology; Skin diseases; Stevens-Johnson syndrome; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome - virology; Viral diseases; Viral Load; Virology; Young Adult; Italy; Bullous dermatosis; Human; Stevens-Johnson syndrome; Skin disease; Description; Stomatology; Polyomavirus; Cidofovir; Transplantation; Papovaviridae; Merkel cell polyomavirus; bone marrow transplantation; Virus; Eye disease; Stevens―Johnson syndrome; Bone marrow; Antiviral; Detection
• ISSN: 0146-6615; 1096-9071
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.23550

Merkel Cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), a ubiquitous DNA tumor virus, has been found to be associated with Merkel cell carcinoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia while other associations are still being explored. MCPyV sequences have also been detected in normal tissues of tumor patients and in the blood of healthy donors. This report documents a new MCPyV association with the Stevens–Johnson syndrome, a rare immune‐modulated mucocutaneous process particularly associated with specific drugs and infective agents. A high MCPyV viral load was detected simultaneously in fluid from skin lesions (2.0 × 104 copies/ml) and in matched blood (7.4 × 105 copies/ml) from a young adult patient after bone marrow transplant for a relapsed T‐cell acute lymphatic leukaemia. MCPyV clearance concurred with the complete resolution of skin lesions after 5 days of cidofovir treatment. DNA sequencing classified the amplicons as the European/Italian MKL‐1 strain. Given its ubiquitous nature, MCPyV could account for part of Stevens–Johnson syndrome idiopathic cases. J. Med. Virol. 85:918–923, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.