3rd Conf Retro and Opportun Infect. 1996 Jan 28-Feb 1;:177. Unique
The discovery of Kaposi's Sarcoma Associated Virus (KSHV OR hhv8) by
Chang and her colleagues provides the best candidate to date for a
transmissible, etiologic agent of Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS). We have shown
that HHV8 is present in all epidemiologic types of KS (1), that the
virus is present in both endothelial cells and spindle cells of KS
nodules (2), and that detection of HHV8 in the blood is predictive of
subsequent development of KS in HIV-positive individuals progressing to
AIDS (3). However, until reliable serological tests become available for
epidemiologic studies it remains controversial whether HHV8 is confined
to KS risk groups or whether it is a ubiquitous human virus. Using
sensitive, nested PCR, we do not detect it in the blood or semen of
healthy, volunteer donors, but other laboratories claim they do. Neither
can we detect HHV8 in warts and skin cancers of transplant patients,
provided we have excluded false-positive PCR tests. A further paradox is
that the HHV8 sequences probed to date are absent from KS cell lines,
just as Epstein-Barr virus is lost from nasopharyngeal cell lines. If
HHV8 is an etiologic agent, it may not be required for the maintenance
of the neoplastic state once clonal malignant cells have emerge.
False Positive Reactions HIV Infections/COMPLICATIONS
Herpesviridae/*ISOLATION & PURIF Human Polymerase Chain Reaction
Sarcoma, Kaposi's/ETIOLOGY/*VIROLOGY ABSTRACT