A newly reported human polyomavirus, KI virus, is present in the respiratory tract of Australian children

BACKGROUND: Recently, Allander and co-workers reported the discovery of a new human polyomavirus, KI virus, in respiratory secretions from patients with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI). OBJECTIVE: We examined 951 respiratory samples collected in Queensland, Australia, between November 2002 and August 2003 from patients with respiratory infection, for the presence of the KI virus. RESULTS: Twenty-four (2.5%) samples were positive for KI virus with 20 (83%) of these from children younger than 5 years. In six (25%) patients KI was co-detected with another virus. Full genome sequencing of three isolates shows a high degree of conservation between the Queensland isolates and the original isolates reported from Swedish patients. CONCLUSIONS: The newly described KI polyomavirus may commonly be found in the respiratory tract of patients with ARTI, particularly children, and results indicate that the virus has global presence.