一直以來，人們始終認(rèn)為植物病毒并不會(huì)感染動(dòng)物,，反之動(dòng)物病毒也不可能感染植物,，但是日前一些科學(xué)家卻在人類的糞便中發(fā)現(xiàn)了大量的植物病毒,，這表明首個(gè)人類可能被感染的植物病毒將發(fā)現(xiàn)。相關(guān)論文發(fā)表于PLoS ONE上,。
據(jù)報(bào)道,，日前來自法國(guó)地中海大學(xué)（University of the Mediterranean）的迪迪埃·拉烏爾特（Didier Raoult）和他的團(tuán)隊(duì)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)一種胡椒病毒很有可能感染人類，以致人類生病,。在參與其研究測(cè)試的304個(gè)成人中,，他們?cè)谄渲?%的人的糞便里發(fā)現(xiàn)了胡椒輕斑駁病毒的RNA。而且那些體內(nèi)帶有這種病毒的人要比不帶有這種病毒的人更容易發(fā)燒,，腹痛以及瘙癢,。
但并不是每個(gè)人都相信這一說法，來自美國(guó)新奧爾良杜蘭大學(xué)的病毒學(xué)家羅伯特·加里（Robert Garry）就表示,，拉烏爾特只是觀察了許多可能的癥狀，但是卻沒有找到一些在感染病毒的人群中隨機(jī)出現(xiàn)而且更加普遍的癥狀,。而且,，為了進(jìn)入細(xì)胞并且復(fù)制自身，病毒必須首先與人體細(xì)胞的受體相結(jié)合,，但是植物病毒卻基本不能識(shí)別人體細(xì)胞表面的受體,。
而拉烏爾特稱，植物病毒可能并不是直接感染人體細(xì)胞,，而其裸露的RNA很可能利用類似于RNA干涉（在轉(zhuǎn)錄水平,、轉(zhuǎn)錄后水平和翻譯水平上阻斷基因的表達(dá)）的機(jī)制改變?nèi)梭w細(xì)胞的機(jī)能。目前,，拉烏爾特和他的團(tuán)隊(duì)正在為證明植物病毒可以感染動(dòng)物的判斷是正確的而尋找更直接的證據(jù),。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
PLoS One, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010041
Pepper Mild Mottle Virus, a Plant Virus Associated with Specific Immune Responses, Fever, Abdominal Pains, and Pruritus in Humans
Philippe Colson1,2, Hervé Richet1, Christelle Desnues1, Fanny Balique1,6, Valérie Moal3, Jean-Jacques Grob4, Philippe Berbis5, Hervé Lecoq6, Jean-Robert Harlé7, Yvon Berland3, Didier Raoult1,2*
1 Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales émergentes (URMITE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 6236 – Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) 3R198, Facultés de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France, 2 P?le des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Clinique et Biologique, Fédération de Bactériologie-Hygiène-Virologie, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Timone, Marseille, France, 3 Centre de Néphrologie et Transplantation Rénale, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Conception, Marseille, France, 4 Service de Dermatologie, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Sainte-Marguerite, Marseille, France, 5 Service de Dermatologie, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Nord, Marseille, France, 6 Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Unité de Recherche (UR) 407, Unité de Pathologie Végétale, Montfavet, France, 7 Service de Médecine Interne, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Conception, Marseille, France
Background
Recently, metagenomic studies have identified viable Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), a plant virus, in the stool of healthy subjects. However, its source and role as pathogen have not been determined.
Methods and Findings
21 commercialized food products containing peppers, 357 stool samples from 304 adults and 208 stool samples from 137 children were tested for PMMoV using real-time PCR, sequencing, and electron microscopy. Anti-PMMoV IgM antibody testing was concurrently performed. A case-control study tested the association of biological and clinical symptoms with the presence of PMMoV in the stool. Twelve (57%) food products were positive for PMMoV RNA sequencing. Stool samples from twenty-two (7.2%) adults and one child (0.7%) were positive for PMMoV by real-time PCR. Positive cases were significantly more likely to have been sampled in Dermatology Units (p<10?6), to be seropositive for anti-PMMoV IgM antibodies (p = 0.026) and to be patients who exhibited fever, abdominal pains, and pruritus (p = 0.045, 0.038 and 0.046, respectively).
Conclusions
Our study identified a local source of PMMoV and linked the presence of PMMoV RNA in stool with a specific immune response and clinical symptoms. Although clinical symptoms may be imputable to another cofactor, including spicy food, our data suggest the possibility of a direct or indirect pathogenic role of plant viruses in humans.
