Molecular identification of SV40 infection in human subjects and possible association with kidney disease.

Simian virus 40 (SV40), a monkey polyomavirus that is believed to have entered the human population through contaminated vaccines, is known to be renotropic in simians. If indeed SV40 is endemic within the human population, the route of transmission is unknown. It was therefore hypothesized that SV40 might be renotropic in humans and be detected more frequently in samples obtained from patients with kidney diseases.