Francoise Arnold1, Didier Hober2, Hélène Chaussade3, Marine Dumarest4, Famara Sané2, Mireille Nowakowsjki5, Emma Rigaud6, Jacques Bellalou5, Rachel Desailloud7, Pierre Coursaget8, Marc Eloit9. 1. Université François Rabelais, Tours, France; UMR INRA 1282, Tours, France. 2. Université Lille 2 Faculté de Médecine, CHRU Lille Laboratoire de Virologie EA3610, Loos-lez-Lille, 59120, France. 3. University Hospital, Infectious Diseases Department, Tours, France. 4. Institut Pasteur, Laboratory of Pathogen Discovery, Biology of Infection Unit, Inserm U1117, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, F-75724 Paris, France. 5. Institut Pasteur, Plate-forme de Production de Protéines Recombinantes, Département de Biologie Structurale et Chimie, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75015 Paris, France. 6. Mutualité Sociale Agricole, Bagnolet, France. 7. Université Jules Vernes, CHR Amiens, France. 8. Université François Rabelais, Tours, France. 9. Institut Pasteur, Laboratory of Pathogen Discovery, Biology of Infection Unit, Inserm U1117, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, F-75724 Paris, France; PathoQuest, Bâtiment François Jacob, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France. Electronic address: marc.eloit@pasteur.fr.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Swine pasivirus (SPaV1) is a recently described enteric virus close to human parechoviruses and highly prevalent in pigs. Antibodies to Escherichia coli-expressed VP1 of SpaV1 have been found in a majority of humans in China. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to estimate the antibody prevalence in a European country, to test if exposure to the virus was linked to pig products and if this exposure was a risk factor for the development of diabetes type 1. STUDY DESIGN: An ELISA test was developed and used to screen 842 healthy subjects with known exposure to pig products, 39 patients with diabetes type 1 and 20 controls. RESULTS: We identified a high seroprevalence (15.6%) reacting to VP1 of SPaV1 among healthy human subjects. Analysis of risk factors argues against cross-species transmission from pigs as the source of infection. Data also indicate that the presence of SPaV1 VP1-binding antibodies is not associated with diabetes type 1 in humans. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the seroreactivity frequently found in humans against SpaV1 is due to cross-reactivity with related antigen, perhaps a picornavirus, and that SpaV1 is not a zoonotic virus.
BACKGROUND:Swine pasivirus (SPaV1) is a recently described enteric virus close to human parechoviruses and highly prevalent in pigs. Antibodies to Escherichia coli-expressed VP1 of SpaV1 have been found in a majority of humans in China. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to estimate the antibody prevalence in a European country, to test if exposure to the virus was linked to pig products and if this exposure was a risk factor for the development of diabetes type 1. STUDY DESIGN: An ELISA test was developed and used to screen 842 healthy subjects with known exposure to pig products, 39 patients with diabetes type 1 and 20 controls. RESULTS: We identified a high seroprevalence (15.6%) reacting to VP1 of SPaV1 among healthy human subjects. Analysis of risk factors argues against cross-species transmission from pigs as the source of infection. Data also indicate that the presence of SPaV1 VP1-binding antibodies is not associated with diabetes type 1 in humans. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the seroreactivity frequently found in humans against SpaV1 is due to cross-reactivity with related antigen, perhaps a picornavirus, and that SpaV1 is not a zoonotic virus.