New Delhi, Dec 4 (NationPress) Researchers from the UK have identified a prevalent childhood virus that may cause DNA damage, which could eventually result in bladder cancer as individuals age.

The team from the University of York suggests that addressing the virus in early childhood could present new avenues for preventing bladder cancer in later years.

In their study, published in Science Advances, they discovered that after infection during childhood, the BK virus typically remains inactive in the kidneys.

While infections by the BK virus often lack noticeable symptoms, medical professionals have gained valuable insights from kidney transplant patients. These patients must take immunosuppressants to stop their immune systems from attacking their transplanted kidneys.

In laboratory analyses involving human urinary tract tissue (urothelium), researchers observed patterns of DNA damage induced by the antiviral defenses of the cells following controlled exposure to the BK virus.

In this battle against the BK virus, the enzymes designed to target the virus can inadvertently inflict collateral damage to the cells' own DNA.

This finding lends support to a theory suggesting that the body's own response to BK virus infection can induce DNA mutations that may lead to cancer.

Dr. Simon Baker from the University remarked, "In other forms of virus-related cancers, such as cervical cancer, we observe that viral DNA merges with our genetic material to facilitate tumor growth. Our findings indicate that in the bladder, the tissue's defensive response to the virus results in DNA alterations that can potentially lead to cancer."

"We discovered that DNA damage occurs not only in infected cells but also in adjacent 'bystander cells' that witness the infection in their neighboring cells. This is crucial because it may explain why most bladder cancers show no trace of the virus when diagnosed years later," Baker continued.

The BK virus typically remains dormant in the kidneys. However, the use of immunosuppressants can trigger the reactivation of dormant BK virus, which can harm the kidneys, ureters, and bladder.

Current strategies for preventing bladder cancer focus on encouraging individuals to quit smoking. These new findings offer a promising opportunity to prevent bladder cancer by identifying and managing the BK virus at an earlier stage.