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SV40 is an abbreviation for '''Simian vacuolating virus 40''' or '''''Simian virus 40''''', a Polyomavirus that is found in both Monkey s and Human s. Like other polyomaviruses, SV40 is a DNA Virus that has the potential to cause Tumor s, but most often persists as a latent infection. The virus was first identified in 1960 in cultures of Rhesus Monkey Kidney Cell s that were being used to produce Polio Vaccine . It was named for the effect it produced on infected Green Monkey cells, which developed an unusual number of Vacuole s. The virus is dormant and shows no visible effects in Rhesus monkeys. The virus has been found in many Macaque populations in the wild, where it rarely causes disease. However, in monkeys that are Immunodeficient —due to, for example, infection with '' Simian Immunodeficiency Virus ''—SV40 acts much like the human JC and BK polyomaviruses, producing kidney disease and sometimes a Demyelinating Disease similar to PML . In other species, particularly Hamster s, SV40 causes a variety of tumors, generally Sarcoma s. The molecular mechanisms by which the virus reproduces and alters cell function were previously unknown, and research into SV40 vastly increased biologists' understanding of Gene Expression and the regulation of cell growth. SV40 has not been proven to cause disease in humans, but several studies have suggested a link to cancer based on the presence of relatively large amounts of what may be SV40 DNA fragments in some tumor tissues, particularly Mesothelioma s and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma . There is as yet no consensus on the meaning of these findings. P53 DAMAGE SV40 is believed to damage the tumor-suppressing P53 gene in humans. The p53 gene is responsible for initiating Apoptosis , or "cellular suicide," when a cell is damaged. A damaged p53 gene may contribute to uncontrolled cellular reproduction, leading to a Tumor . POLIO VACCINE CONTAMINATION Soon after its discovery, SV40 was identified in the injected form of the Polio Vaccine produced between 1955 and 1961 . This is believed to be due to kidney cells from infected monkeys being used to amplify the vaccine virus during production. Both the Sabin vaccine (oral, live virus) and the Salk vaccine (injectable, killed virus) were affected; the technique used to inactivate the polio virus in the Salk vaccine, by means of Formaldehyde , did not reliably kill SV40. It was difficult to detect small quantities of virus until the advent of PCR testing; since then, stored samples of vaccine made after 1962 have tested negative for SV40, but no samples prior to 1962 could be found. Thus, although over 10 million people received the potentially contaminated batches of vaccine, there is no way to know whether they were exposed to the virus, and if so, whether it was in a quantity and by a route that would cause infection. It is also unknown how widespread the virus was among humans before the 1950s , though one study found that 12% of a sample of German medical students in 1952 had SV40 Antibodies . It is not known whether the virus can be transmitted between humans. An analysis presented at the Vaccine Cell Substrate Conference in 2004 {Link without Title} suggested that vaccines used in the former Soviet Bloc countries, China, Japan, and Africa, could have been contaminated up to 1980, meaning that hundreds of millions more could have been exposed to the virus. TREATMENT IN THE POPULAR PRESS Claims have been made detailing the controversy surrounding SV40 research. One book by a pair of investigative journalists contains statements indicating that researchers were penalized for reporting the findings of a potential cause and effect relationship between the early polio vaccine, SV40 and cancer. The book further alleges falsification of research due to financial conflicts of interest. {Link without Title} An additional book written by the creator of the "Natural Cures" Infomercial alleges a coverup of harm caused to the public. EXTERNAL LINKS
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