OBJECTIVE To report data on the evaluation of the efficacy of urine cytology in detecting BK virus (BKV). MATERIAL AND METHODS Papanicolaou-stained cytospin preparations of randomly collected urine samples from 8 renal transplant (RTR) patients (5 males, 3 females, age: 23-63 years) who previously tested positive for BKV by PCR in urine or blood or both were studied. Urine sediment from 3 of ...

Malignant undifferentiated sarcomas were induced in 11 of 15 (73.3%) newborn Syrian hamsters by s.c. inoculation of a recombinant DNA (pBK/c-rasA) containing BK virus (BKV) early region gene and the activated human c-Harvey-ras(c-Ha-ras) oncogene derived from T24 bladder carcinoma. The two genes inoculated independently as well as a recombinant DNA of BKV early region gene and normal human c-Ha...

BACKGROUND Polyoma virus type BK (BKV) nephritis has emerged as an important cause of renal allograft dysfunction and graft failure. Its diagnosis is contingent on the invasive procedure of allograft biopsy. A noninvasive diagnostic test for BKV nephritis could improve clinical outcome. METHODS We obtained 25 urine specimens from 8 renal allograft recipients with biopsy-confirmed BKV nephriti...

Although human embryo kidney (HEK), muscle (HEM) and lung (HEL) cells are capable of supporting the replication of BK virus (BKV) through passage levels 9, 12 and 12 respectively, only third, fourth and fifth passage level HEK cells were found to be satisfactory for the plaque assay of the virus. BSC-I and VERO cells can also be used for the plaque assay of BKV. However, in HEK cells plaques ca...

BK virus (BKV) may cause nephropathy in renal transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive therapy, resulting in renal dysfunction and, possibly graft loss. However, the positive and negative predictive values of BK viral load are still controversial. In this prospective, single-center study, BKV DNA was measured 1, 3 and 6 months after transplantation. The viral load in urine and plasma w...

Polyomavirus-associated nephropathy in kidney transplantation is viewed as a complication of prolonged, intense immunosuppression, which disrupts the balance between antiviral immune control and polyomavirus replication. The prevalence rate ranges from 1-10% in kidney transplant programs around the world, with graft failure and return to dialysis in > 50%. Most cases are caused by the human pol...

AIM To evaluate incidence, risk factors and treatment outcome of BK polyomavirus nephropathy (BKVN) in a cohort of renal transplant recipients in the Auckland region without a formal BK polyomavirus (BKV) surveillance programme. METHODS A cohort of 226 patients who received their renal transplants from 2006 to 2012 was retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Seventy-six recipients (33.6%) had a B...

Prostate cancer has been projected to cause almost 10% of all male cancer deaths in the United States in 2007. The incidence of mutations in the tumor suppressor genes Rb1 and p53, especially in the early stages of the disease, is low compared to those for other cancers. This has led to the hypothesis that a human virus such as BK virus (BKV), which establishes a persistent subclinical infectio...

To assess the stability of polyomavirus antibodies in serial samples over time and the incidence and age-specific prevalence of polyomavirus infections, we established enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) using purified yeast-expressed virus-like particles (VLPs) containing the VP1 major capsid proteins of JC virus (JCV) and the AS and SB strains of BK virus (BKV). A random subsample of 150 Finnish women...

BK virus (BKV) is widely accepted to be the causative agent of polyomavirus nephropathy. In immunocompromised individuals, especially kidney transplant recipients, BKV can replicate in kidney epithelial cells, causing loss of renal function and eventual destruction of the graft. Advances in immunosuppressive therapies may be partially responsible for the increasing incidence of polyomavirus nep...