Virome Analysis Reveals No Association of Head and Neck Vascular Anomalies with an Active Viral Infection

Background/aim: Vascular anomalies encompass different vascular malformations [arteriovenous (AVM), lymphatic (LM), venous lymphatic (VLM), venous (VM)] and vascular tumors such as hemangiomas (HA). The pathogenesis of vascular anomalies is still poorly understood. Viral infection was speculated as a possible underlying cause.

Materials and methods: A total of 13 human vascular anomalies and three human skin control tissues were used for viral analysis. RNA derived from AVM (n=4) and normal skin control (n=3) tissues was evaluated by RNA sequencing. The Virome Capture Sequencing Platform for Vertebrate Viruses (VirCapSeq-VERT) was deployed on 10 tissues with vascular anomalies (2×AVM, 1×HA, 1×LM, 2×VLM, 4×VM).

Results: RNA sequencing did not show any correlation of AVM with viral infection. By deploying VirCapSeq-VERT, no consistent viral association was seen in the tested tissues.

Conclusion: The analysis does not point to the presence of an active viral infection in vascular anomalies. However, transient earlier viral infections, e.g. during pregnancy, cannot be excluded with this approach.