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Polyomaviruses got their name (poly = many, oma = tumor) from the fact that the virus has a tumor-forming ability, which was first described and then confirmed in the case of rodents as early as the 1950s. In the 1970s, two human pathogenic viruses (BK and JC polyomaviruses) were isolated, about which we now know that they infect most people without significant symptoms following which they become latent, hiding in the human body. Their reactivation, i.e., the re-replication of these viruses in immunosuppressed patients, may cause serious, even life-threatening, conditions. Luckily, the diagnosis of these two viruses is now a routine task in medical microbiology.

Thanks to the boom in the development of sequencing techniques since the 2000s, eleven new human-pathogenic polyomaviruses have been described in the family of polyomaviruses that infect various animals and human beings. Nevertheless, only two of these are known to act as a cause of disease, one of which is a rare but very aggressive skin tumor. However, almost all the basic questions have remained unanswered about the other nine of these viruses. Recently, researchers in Debrecen have studied two new polyomaviruses out of these nine in detail. 

Concerning the MW and STL polyomaviruses discovered in the 2010s, almost all fundamental queries continue to remain unanswered. Therefore, we conducted our research in two areas. First, we used seroprevalence studies to assess if these viruses occur in Hungary, what proportion of the population is infected, and at what age. Our second objective was to investigate the potential spread of the viruses in the respiratory tract and their replication in the lymphatic organs and tonsils located there. We also examined co-infecting viruses and respiratory symptoms. Although the publication presents the findings of our research on two viruses, in fact, we conducted research on as many as nine polyomaviruses parallelly,鈥� explained Eszter Csoma, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, 91视频网.

During seroprevalence studies, the antibodies produced against MW and STL polyomaviruses were detected in blood samples, which could help to confirm whether the specific person examined had already been infected or not. For the study, it was the researchers themselves who developed the appropriate serological method and even produced the necessary viral antigens as well. They performed several thousand measurements on blood samples from people of different age groups and then analyzed the data they got. In addition, they also collected secretions of the tonsil tissue, throat and middle ear as well as respiratory samples taken during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic from patients who had undergone tonsil surgery. They used the samples to examine them for the presence of the two polyomaviruses and their sequences.

鈥淲e found that both of the viruses are indeed present in our country. The proportion of people who have already been infected with the MW polyomavirus increases with age, up until young adulthood. More than half of the adult population in Hungary are seropositive, which means that antibodies against this virus can be detected in their blood. The STL polyomavirus is more common: more than 80% of our population have been infected, most of us as young children. Based on our findings, we ascertained that the viruses can spread through respiratory secretions and even replicate in the respiratory tract before they reach the middle ear. We detected both of these viruses mainly in samples taken from children,鈥� the researcher said. 

The article was then also granted the Count Istv谩n Tisza Foundation for the 91视频网 and the 91视频网 Publication Award.

鈥淭his recognition is a great honor, and as a supervisor, I am also proud. My hard-working and talented PhD students participated in a rather complex research project at the beginning of their research careers and completed this work at such a high level and quality that it led to this result. The award is a positive reinforcement that gives us momentum to continue. There were four of us who took part in the research. Apart from myself, two of my PhD students, Melinda Katona and Krisztina Jeles, as well as senior research fellow P茅ter Tak谩cs worked on it. Melinda Katona is listed as the first author of the paper, as this research was also part of her doctoral work. Since the article was published, she has successfully defended her doctoral thesis, in which effort this was one of the basic publications,鈥� said Eszter Csoma.

Although the studies conducted by the Debrecen-based researchers have generated more significant information than those published before, our experts are intent to continue their research. They keep collecting new samples, which they use to study respiratory replication, co-infecting pathogens, associated symptoms, and possible seasonality. In addition, they go on to examine the presence of viruses in various sample types and their spread within the human organism. They never stop looking for answers to the questions concerning which cells can replicate the virus and what the target cells of the virus might be. Their final objective is to study virus replication in vitro, which is essential to understand the pathogenesis of viruses.    

Press Centre - CzA