VACCINE

Cellular And Molecular Life Sciences • April 2007
SV40 association with human malignancies
and mechanisms of tumor immunity by large tumor antigen
Author information
Lowe DB1, Shearer MH, Jumper CA, Kennedy RC.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Lubbock, TX 79430-6591, USA
Abstract
SV40 was discovered as a contaminate of poliovirus vaccine lots distributed to millions of
individuals in the United States between 1955 and 1963 while contaminated vaccine batches
were later circulated worldwide. After SV40 was observed to cause in vitro animal and human
cell transformations and in vivo tumor formations in animals, the search for a connection between
the virus and human malignancies has continued to the present day. Different molecular
methods have been used to detect SV40 gene products in a variety of human cancers, though
SV40 causality in these tumor types has yet to be established. These data, however, are not
without controversial issues related to inconclusive SV40 serological and epidemiological
evidence alongside tools and methodologies that may contribute to false-positive results in
human specimens. This review will also explore how vaccination against SV40 protein products
may be used to help prevent and treat individuals with SV40-expressing cancers.
“SV40 was discovered
as a contaminate of poliovirus vaccine lots
distributed to millions of individuals in the
United States between 1955 and 1963 while
contaminated vaccine batches were
later circulated worldwide.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17260087