Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34733278›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2021

Decreased IgG Antibody Response to Viral Protein Mimotopes of Oncogenic Merkel Cell Polyomavirus in Sera From Healthy Elderly Subjects.

Chiara Mazziotta, Carmen Lanzillotti, Marcello Govoni, Giulia Pellielo, Elisa Mazzoni, Mauro Tognon, Fernanda Martini, John Charles Rotondo

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Chiara MazziottaDepartment of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Carmen LanzillottiDepartment of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Marcello GovoniDepartment of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Giulia PellieloDepartment of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Elisa MazzoniDepartment of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Mauro TognonDepartment of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Fernanda MartiniDepartment of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
John Charles RotondoDepartment of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
University of Ferrara · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is the main causative agent of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare but aggressive skin tumor with a typical presentation age >60 years. MCPyV is ubiquitous in humans. After an early-age primary infection, MCPyV establishes a clinically asymptomatic lifelong infection. In immunocompromised patients/individuals, including elders, MCC can arise following an increase in MCPyV replication events. Elders are prone to develop immunesenescence and therefore represent an important group to investigate. In addition, detailed information on MCPyV serology in elders has been debated. These findings cumulatively indicate the need for new research verifying the impact of MCPyV infection in elderly subjects (ES). Herein, sera from 226 ES, aged 66-100 years, were analyzed for anti-MCPyV IgGs with an indirect ELISA using peptides mimicking epitopes from the MCPyV capsid proteins VP1-2. Immunological data from sera belonging to a cohort of healthy subjects (HS) (n = 548) aged 18-65 years, reported in our previous study, were also included for comparisons. Age-/gender-specific seroprevalence and serological profiles were investigated. MCPyV seroprevalence in ES was 63.7% (144/226). Age-specific MCPyV seroprevalence resulted as 62.5% (25/40), 71.7% (33/46), 64.9% (37/57), 63.8% (30/47), and 52.8% (19/36) in ES aged 66-70, 71-75, 76-80, 81-85, and 86-100 years, respectively (p > 0.05). MCPyV seroprevalence was 67% (71/106) and 61% (73/120) in ES males and females, respectively (p > 0.05). Lack of age-/gender-related variations in terms of MCPyV serological profiles was found in ES (p > 0.05). Notably, serological profile analyses indicated lower optical densities (ODs) in ES compared with HS (p < 0.05), while lower ODs were also determined in ES males compared with HS males (p < 0.05). Our data cumulatively suggest that oncogenic MCPyV circulates in elders asymptomatically at a relatively high prevalence, while immunesenescence might be responsible for a decreased IgG antibody response to MCPyV, thereby potentially leading to an increase in MCPyV replication levels. In the worse scenario, alongside other factors, MCPyV might drive MCC carcinogenesis, as described in elders with over 60 years of age.

Indexed as

ImmunosenescenceAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAge FactorsAgingAntibodies, ViralAntigens, ViralCapsid ProteinsEpitopesFemaleHealthy VolunteersHost-Pathogen InteractionsHumansImmunoglobulin GAntibodies, ViralAntigens, ViralCapsid ProteinsEpitopesImmunoglobulin Gelderly individualsenzyme-linked immunosorbent assayimmune systemimmunological assayimmunosenescenceMCPyVMerkel cell carcinomaMerkel cell polyomavirus

Identifiers

PMID34733278
PMCPMC8558529
OpenAlexW3207682751

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.