http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029223
No Evidence of Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Viruses in Live
Attenuated Human Vaccines
William M. Switzer1*, HaoQiang Zheng1, Graham Simmons2, Yanchen Zhou2,
Shaohua Tang1, Anupama Shankar1, Beatrix Kapusinszky2, Eric L.
Delwart2, Walid Heneine1
1 Laboratory Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center
for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of
America, 2 Blood Systems Research Institute and Department of
Laboratory Medicine, University of California (UCSF), San Francisco,
San Francisco, California, United States of America
Abstract
Background
The association of xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related
virus (XMRV) in prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome reported
in previous studies remains controversial as these results have been
questioned by recent data. Nonetheless, concerns have been raised
regarding contamination of human vaccines as a possible source of
introduction of XMRV and MLV into human populations. To address this
possibility, we tested eight live attenuated human vaccines using
generic PCR for XMRV and MLV sequences. Viral metagenomics using deep
sequencing was also done to identify the possibility of other
adventitious agents.
Results
All eight live attenuated vaccines, including Japanese encephalitis
virus (JEV) (SA-14-14-2), varicella (Varivax), measles, mumps, and
rubella (MMR-II), measles (Attenuvax), rubella (Meruvax-II), rotavirus
(Rotateq and Rotarix), and yellow fever virus were negative for XMRV
and highly related MLV sequences. However, residual hamster DNA, but
not RNA, containing novel endogenous gammaretrovirus sequences was
detected in the JEV vaccine using PCR. Metagenomics analysis did not
detect any adventitious viral sequences of public health concern.
Intracisternal A particle sequences closest to those present in Syrian
hamsters and not mice were also detected in the JEV SA-14-14-2
vaccine. Combined, these results are consistent with the production of
the JEV vaccine in Syrian hamster cells.
Conclusions
We found no evidence of XMRV and MLV in eight live attenuated human
vaccines further supporting the safety of these vaccines. Our findings
suggest that vaccines are an unlikely source of XMRV and MLV exposure
in humans and are consistent with the mounting evidence on the absence
of these viruses in humans.
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