Human Herpesvirus 8 Seroprevalence in Blood Donors and Lymphoma Patients From Different Regions of Italy

Abstract

Independent epidemiologic studies have shown a strong association between Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and infection with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8 or KSHV). HHV-8 genomic sequences have been found in all forms (1–5) and all histologic stages (6) of KS, with viral DNA being localized to tumor endothelial cells and spindle cells (7,8). Detection of HHV-8 DNA sequences in the peripheral blood of patients who are seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV) is a strong predictor of progression to KS (9,10). The vast majority of patients with KS have antibodies against HHV-8 (11–14), with seroconversion before clinical disease (15). HHV-8 infection is apparently not common in the general population of the U.K. and the United States, but it is common in groups at high risk for KS (11–14). In addition, HHV-8 seroprevalence is higher in HIV-positive homosexual men than in HIV-positive patients with hemophilia (13), just as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related KS occurs far more commonly in homosexual men than in patients with hemophilia. HHV-8 infection is common in the general population of Uganda, which has a high incidence of endemic KS (11,13,14).