SV40 and monkeys/humans

[Janet Chantler]

The three human papovaviruses are JC, sv40/PML and BK. James Gibbs is quite 
write that one (BK) infects kidney while JC and SV40/PML can infect brain 
and are associated with the slow neurological disease, progressive 
multifocal leukoencephalopathy. I believe that JC is quite dissimilar to 
SV40 but SV40/PML as the name suggests, is very closely related. Although 
I have never seen the suggestion in print, it is true that millions of 
people were immunised with contaminated polio vaccine (grown in monkey 
kidney cells) in the 50's and early 60's, and one might presume that this 
was the origin of SV40/PML in humans. JC and SV40/pml cause a 
differential infection of oligodendrocytes and astrocytes in brain due 
apparently to the effectiveness of a viral enhancer in the two cell 
types. This may also have some role in species specificity.

JKC