Simian virus 40 and malignant mesothelioma (Review).

Simian virus 40 (SV40) was recognized as a contaminant of early poliovirus vaccines that were provided to millions of individuals in Europe and in the USA between 1955 and 1963. SV40, a DNA virus of the family of papovaviridae, was proven to be oncogenic in rodents and able to transform human and animal cells in vitro. In 1993 SV40 was accidentally discovered to produce mesotheliomas in hamsters when it was injected in visceral cavities.

High frequency of micronuclei in peripheral blood lymphocytes as index of susceptibility to pleural malignant mesothelioma.

We evaluated the frequency of micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with pleural malignant mesotelioma (MM), lung cancer, benign respiratory diseases, and healthy controls. A significant increased frequency of MN was observed in patients with MM in comparison with all the other groups (median, 11.4 binucleated MN/1000 binucleated cells versus 5.