Acquisition of Human Polyomaviruses in the First 18 Months of Life

Abstract

We investigated the presence of 4 human polyomaviruses (PyVs) (WU, KI, Merkel cell, and Malawi) in respiratory specimens from a community-based birth cohort. These viruses typically were acquired when children were ≈1 year of age. We provide evidence that WU, KI, and Malawi, but not Merkel cell PyVs, might have a role in respiratory infections.

Keywords

• polyomavirus
• viruses
• WU polyomavirus
• KI polyomavirus
• Malawi polyomavirus
• Merkel cell polyomavirus