According to findings published in the journal Experimental and Molecular Pathology, a new oncovirus, or cancer-causing virus, has been discovered, bringing the known total of oncoviruses to eight, including Epstein-BarrVirus, hepatitis B and C, and human T-lymphtrophic virus 1, among others.
Researchers from the Laboratory for Developmental Genetics at the University of Southern California have confirmed the activity of cytomegalovirus, or CMV, as an oncovirus, meaning that it can either kickstart cancer in healthy cells or take advantage of cell mutations and enhance the formation of tumors.
The study showed that CMV is a cause of some of the most common salivary gland cancers including mucoepidermoid carcinoma.
CMV is a very common virus, most likely carried by the majority of the population. When people with healthy immune systems are exposed to it, it does nothing and goes dormant. The virus however presents a significant health risk in people with compromised immune systems and in pregnant women who have never been exposed to the virus before.
Source
Melnick M et al. Human cytomegalovirus and mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands: Cell-specific localization of active viral and oncogenic signaling proteins is confirmatory of a causal relationship. doi:10.1016/j.yexmp.2011.10.011
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