TY - JOUR
T1 - Antibodies to human herpesvirus type 8 in the general population and in Kaposi's sarcoma patients
AU - Lennette, Evelyne T.
AU - Blackbourn, David J.
AU - Levy, Jay As
N1 - Funding Information:
Supported in part by a grant from the University of California University-wide AIDS Research Program (R95-SF-008) to JAL. We thank D Ganem for the BCBL-1 cell line, and Mark Endo, Mary Herrmann, Diane Misumi, and Kenji W Takeda for technical assistance.
PY - 1996/9/28
Y1 - 1996/9/28
N2 - Background: Much of the evidence that human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8) is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) has come from molecular studies of HHV-8 DNA. Seroepidemiological studies have been hampered by the lack of a reliable assay. Methods: The serological data reported here were obtained by means of a mouse monoclonal antibody-enhanced immunofluorescence assay for antibodies to lytic and latent HHV-8 antigens. 1435 single samples of serum (or plasma) from many different disease groups and parts of the world were assayed. Findings: All patients with African endemic KS and 96% of American patients with AIDS-associated KS were seropositive for lytic antigen, as were 90% of American HIV-infected homosexual men; by contrast only 23% of HIV-seropositive drug users and 21% of HIV-seropositive women were positive for HHV-8 antibody. Factor VIII treatment before 1983 did not increase the risk of HHV-8 infection in patients with haemophilia. In the American general population, about 25% of adults (including volunteer blood donors) and 2-8% of children had antibodies to HHV-8. Interpretation: Our data are consistent with HHV-8 being primarily associated with sexual transmission, but the HHV-8 seropositivity rate in American children suggests that there is a non-sexual route of HHV-8 infection also. On the evidence available so far, the risk of parenteral transmission is low.
AB - Background: Much of the evidence that human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8) is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) has come from molecular studies of HHV-8 DNA. Seroepidemiological studies have been hampered by the lack of a reliable assay. Methods: The serological data reported here were obtained by means of a mouse monoclonal antibody-enhanced immunofluorescence assay for antibodies to lytic and latent HHV-8 antigens. 1435 single samples of serum (or plasma) from many different disease groups and parts of the world were assayed. Findings: All patients with African endemic KS and 96% of American patients with AIDS-associated KS were seropositive for lytic antigen, as were 90% of American HIV-infected homosexual men; by contrast only 23% of HIV-seropositive drug users and 21% of HIV-seropositive women were positive for HHV-8 antibody. Factor VIII treatment before 1983 did not increase the risk of HHV-8 infection in patients with haemophilia. In the American general population, about 25% of adults (including volunteer blood donors) and 2-8% of children had antibodies to HHV-8. Interpretation: Our data are consistent with HHV-8 being primarily associated with sexual transmission, but the HHV-8 seropositivity rate in American children suggests that there is a non-sexual route of HHV-8 infection also. On the evidence available so far, the risk of parenteral transmission is low.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030604909&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0140-6736(96)03240-0
DO - 10.1016/S0140-6736(96)03240-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 8826812
AN - SCOPUS:0030604909
VL - 348
SP - 858
EP - 861
JO - The Lancet
JF - The Lancet
SN - 0140-6736
IS - 9031
ER -
