AUTHOR=Pietrobon Silvia , Bononi Ilaria , Lotito Francesca , Perri Paolo , Violanti Sara , Mazzoni Elisa , Martini Fernanda , Tognon Mauro G. TITLE=Specific Detection of Serum Antibodies against BKPyV, A Small DNA Tumour Virus, in Patients Affected by Choroidal Nevi JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02059 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2017.02059 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=
Ocular or choroidal nevus (CN) is a rare benign neoplastic lesion of the eye. The cause of CN onset/progression, which arises from the transformation of ocular melanocytes, is not known. A fraction of CN patients may develop uveal melanoma. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between CN and BK polyomavirus (BKPyV), a small DNA tumor virus. Serum IgG antibodies which react with BKPyV antigens were analyzed. An indirect E.L.I.S.A. using synthetic peptides that mimic BKPyV antigens was employed. Serum antibodies against BKPyV were also investigated by haemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay. Sera were from CN patients and healthy subject (HS) were the control. A statistically significant higher prevalence of antibodies against BKPyV capsid protein antigens in serum samples from CN patients was detected, compared to HS, using two independent techniques, indirect E.L.I.S.A. and HAI (87.3% CN vs. 62.1% HS and 91.5% CN vs. 64.4% HS, respectively;