Antibodies for strain 2117-like vesiviruses (caliciviruses) in humans

• In 2003, the vesivirus (VeV) strain 2117 was identified incidentally as a contaminant of CHO cell cultures.
• Recently, the 2117-like VeVs were detected at high prevalence in the rectal swabs of healthy dogs.
• In this study, we report the first serological evidence of 2117-like VeVs in humans.

The vesivirus strain 2117 has been identified as contaminant of bioreactors used for production of human drugs, due to possible contamination of the reagents used for cell cultivation. Using an ELISA assay, antibodies specific for 2117-like viruses were detected in 32/410 (7.8%) human sera, indicating exposure to these viruses.