passenger virus
Experimental demonstration of passenger status
Proving that a virus has no causative role can be difficult. Although none of the following signs is definitive, evidence that a virus found in diseased tissue might be passenger only rather than a causative agent includes:
- injection of the virus into healthy animals without causing disease;
- the absence of the virus at the earliest stages of the disease;
- curing the viral infection using antiviral drugs or vaccination with no effect on the course of the disease.
Examples
A well-established example is lactate dehydrogenase virus, which is often found in mouse tumours.{{cite journal | url = http://www.jem.org/cgi/content/abstract/143/1/100 | pmid = 1244415 | volume=143 | issue=1 | title=Inhibition of lymphocyte trapping by a passenger virus in murine ascitic tumors: characterization of lactic dehydrogenase virus (LDV) as the inhibitory component and analysis of the mechanism of inhibition | pmc=2190100 | date=January 1976 | author=Mongini PK, Rosenberg LT | journal=J. Exp. Med. | pages=100–13 | doi=10.1084/jem.143.1.100}} GB virus C and Chandipura virus are possible examples in humans.{{cite journal | vauthors = Mphahlele MJ, Lau GK, Carman WF | title = HGV: the identification, biology and prevalence of an orphan virus | journal = Liver | volume = 18 | issue = 3 | pages = 143–55 | date = June 1998 | pmid = 9716223| doi = 10.1111/j.1600-0676.1998.tb00142.x }}{{cite journal | url= | pmid = 16492900 | doi=10.1136/adc.2005.074708 | volume=91 | issue=3 | title=Is Chandipura virus an emerging human pathogen? | pmc=2065945 | date=March 2006 | author=Potharaju NR, Potharaju AK | journal=Arch. Dis. Child. | pages=279–80}} It has also been suggested that a virus related to Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 is a passenger virus that, unlike AHV1 itself, does not cause bovine malignant catarrhal fever.{{cite journal|last=Metzler|first=Alfred E|title=The malignant catarrhal fever complex|journal=Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases|date=January 1991|volume=14|issue=2|pages=107–124|doi=10.1016/0147-9571(91)90125-W|pmid=1934998}} The discredited{{Cite journal |last=Cohen |first=J. |date=1994-12-09 |title=The Duesberg phenomenon |journal=Science |language=en |volume=266 |issue=5191 |pages=1642–1644 |doi=10.1126/science.7992043 |issn=0036-8075 |pmid=7992043|bibcode=1994Sci...266.1642C }} Duesberg hypothesis posits that HIV is a passenger virus in the etiology of AIDS.{{cite journal | author = Duesberg P, Rasnick D | year = 1998 | title = The AIDS dilemma: drug diseases blamed on a passenger virus | journal = Genetica | volume = 104 | issue = 2| pages = 85–132 | doi = 10.1023/A:1003405220186 | pmid = 10220905 | s2cid = 30201649 }}
References
{{reflist}}