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

Abstract 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.