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Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), as a new member of polyomaviruses, has recently been discovered as a possible etiologic factor for human cancer. It was first detected in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a malignant lung tumor which shares histopathological and genetic features with MCC, as both are of neuroendocrine origin. In this study, we investigated the presence of MCPyV DNA in SCLC specimens by real-time PCR. Our null hypothesis was that MCPyV is an etiologic factor in SCLC, as previously seen in MCC. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens were obtained from 50 patients, who underwent bronchoscopic biopsy and were diagnosed with SCLC between March 2010 and March 2012. Similarly, we obtained bronchoscopic biopsy specimens from 29 patients, who were diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). All samples were obtained at a single center (Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Tehran, Iran). Real-time PCR was done to detect the presence of MCPyV DNA. After excluding one specimen from the SCLC group due to loss of tumor tissue, we did not detect MCPyV DNA in samples from patients with either SCLC (the mean age 58.9 years, male/female ratio: 7.3/1) or NSCLC. Our results suggest that MCPyV does not play a role in the pathogenesis of SCLC, which is in accord with the results from other prior investigations., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of BK virus infection, BK virus nephritis, and related risk factors among kidney transplant recipients., Materials and Methods: BK viremia during the first year of kidney transplantation was assessed prospectively in 32 successive recipients. BK virus DNA was extracted and determined in all samples by real-time polymerase reaction assay for 1 year after kidney transplantation., Results: The mean age of the patients was 33.3 ± 15.3 years. Sixteen patients (50%) received antithymocyte globulin for induction therapy. Living donor transplant consisted of 75% of the kidney donations. Maintenance immunosuppressive therapy included cyclosporine A in 27 patients (84.4%), plus tapering prednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil. BK viremia was detected in 8 patients (25%). The highest detected plasma viral load was less than 4000 copies per milliliter. BK virus was respectively positive in 5 (62.5%), 2 (25%), and 1 (12.5%) patients during the first 4, 8, and 12 months after transplantation. Biopsy-proven rejection and antirejection therapy by methylprednisolone pulses were 5 and 2.3 times more common in patients with BK virus infection (P = .01 and P = .01), respectively., Conclusions: Despite occurrence of BK virus infection in 25% of our patients, BK nephropathy did not develop in any of them. Routine screening of BK virus infection, particularly in centers with low prevalence of BK virus nephritis, may not be cost effective for predicting this disease.

Introduction: Maintenance of kidney graft function is essential, averting infection and coinfection. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and BK polyomavirus (BKV) coinfection have been reported. There are a few studies of CMV and BKV infection in kidney transplant recipients in Iran, but no studies of their coinfection., Objective: To assess the coexistence of CMV and BKV infection in renal transplant recipients., Patients and Methods: The presence of CMV and BKV was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction in a cross-sectional study in 91 renal transplant recipients at 1 month posttransplantation. Assessment of CMV was performed only in blood samples, whereas BKV was assessed in both serum and urine samples., Results: The 91 patients included 57 men (62.6%) and 34 women (37.4%), who ranged in age from 19 to 76 years. Simultaneous evaluation of CMV in plasma and BKV in urine demonstrated no significant association. Of 24 patients positive for BKV in urine, 8 (33.3%) were positive for CMV in plasma. Sixty-seven patients tested negative for BKV in urine, whereas 23 (34.4%) tested positive for CMV, which is unremarkable. Comparison of coinfection with plasma CMV and plasma BKV demonstrated no significant correlation. In 3 patients positive for BKV in plasma only, 1 (33.3%) was positive for CMV, whereas in 88 patients negative for BKV in plasma, 30 were positive for CMV., Conclusion: No significant association was observed between CMV and BKV infections in kidney transplant recipients., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)