This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Vilchez, R. A. Articles by Butel, J. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Vilchez, R. A. Articles by Butel, J. S.

Emergent Human Pathogen Simian Virus 40 and Its Role in Cancer

Departments of Medicine and,¹ Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas²

The polyomavirus simian virus 40 (SV40) is a known oncogenic DNA virus which induces primary brain and bone cancers, malignant mesothelioma, and lymphomas in laboratory animals. Persuasive evidence now indicates that SV40 is causing infections in humans today and represents an emerging pathogen. A meta-analysis of molecular, pathological, and clinical data from 1,793 cancer patients indicates that there is a significant excess risk of SV40 associated with human primary brain cancers, primary bone cancers, malignant mesothelioma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Experimental data strongly suggest that SV40 may be functionally important in the development of some of those human malignancies. Therefore, the major types of tumors induced by SV40 in laboratory animals are the same as those human malignancies found to contain SV40 markers. The Institute of Medicine recently concluded that "the biological evidence is of moderate strength that SV40 exposure could lead to cancer in humans under natural conditions." This review analyzes the accumulating data that indicate that SV40 is a pathogen which has a possible etiologic role in human malignancies. Future research directions are considered.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Sroller, V., Vilchez, R. A., Stewart, A. R., Wong, C., Butel, J. S. (2008). Influence of the Viral Regulatory Region on Tumor Induction by Simian Virus 40 in Hamsters. J. Virol. 82: 871-879 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Campanero-Rhodes, M. A., Smith, A., Chai, W., Sonnino, S., Mauri, L., Childs, R. A., Zhang, Y., Ewers, H., Helenius, A., Imberty, A., Feizi, T. (2007). N-Glycolyl GM1 Ganglioside as a Receptor for Simian Virus 40. J. Virol. 81: 12846-12858 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Comar, M., Rizzardi, C., de Zotti, R., Melato, M., Bovenzi, M., Butel, J. S., Campello, C. (2007). SV40 Multiple Tissue Infection and Asbestos Exposure in a Hyperendemic Area for Malignant Mesothelioma. Cancer Res. 67: 8456-8459 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Sterman, D. H., Recio, A., Carroll, R. G., Gillespie, C. T., Haas, A., Vachani, A., Kapoor, V., Sun, J., Hodinka, R., Brown, J. L., Corbley, M. J., Parr, M., Ho, M., Pastan, I., Machuzak, M., Benedict, W., Zhang, X.-q., Lord, E. M., Litzky, L. A., Heitjan, D. F., June, C. H., Kaiser, L. R., Vonderheide, R. H., Albelda, S. M. (2007). A Phase I Clinical Trial of Single-Dose Intrapleural IFN-{beta} Gene Transfer for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma and Metastatic Pleural Effusions: High Rate of Antitumor Immune Responses. Clin. Cancer Res. 13: 4456-4466 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Marciniak, R. A., Cavazos, D., Montellano, R., Chen, Q., Guarente, L., Johnson, F. B. (2005). A Novel Telomere Structure in a Human Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres Cell Line. Cancer Res. 65: 2730-2737 [Abstract] [Full Text]