Human herpesvirus-8 infection in pregnancy and labor: Lack of evidence of vertical transmission

High seroprevalence of antibodies against Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) among HIV-1-infected children and adolescents in a non-endemic population

Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) is the etiological agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), which primarily affects human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults with advanced immunodeficiency. Currently, only limited prevalence data for HHV-8 infection in HIV-infected children living in non-endemic areas are available. This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in four university hospitals in Germany specializing in pediatric HIV care. Stored serum specimens obtained from 207 vertically HIV-1-infected children and adolescents were tested for antibodies against lytic and latent HHV-8 antigens. Logistic regression was used to assess independent risk factors associated with HHV-8 seropositivity. The overall HHV-8 seroprevalence was 24.6 % (n = 51/207) without significant differences related to sex, age, or ethnicity. In univariate analysis, HHV-8 seropositivity was significantly associated with a child having being born outside Germany, maternal origin from sub-Saharan Africa, a history of breastfeeding, CDC immunologic category 3, and deferred initiation of antiretroviral therapy (>24 months of age). In multivariate analysis, a child's birth outside Germany was the only significant risk factor for HHV-8 seropositivity (odds ratio 3.98; 95 % confidence interval 1.27-12.42). HHV-8-associated malignancies were uncommon; only one patient had a history of KS. Serum specimen of vertically HIV-infected children and adolescents living in Germany showed a high HHV-8 seroprevalence. These findings suggest that primary HHV-8 infection-a risk factor for KS and other HHV-8-associated malignancies-occurs early in life. Thus, management of perinatally HIV-infected children should include testing for HHV-8 coinfection and should consider future risks of HHV-8-associated malignancies.

Quantification of viral genome in cord blood donors by real time PCR to investigate human herpesvirus type 8 active infection

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is one of the most important sources of hematopoietic stem cells which can be used for transplantation. The transplanted CB stem cells might cause infections in recipients. The aim of this study is to evaluate Human Herpes Virus8 (HHV8) as a Rhadinovirus among CB samples in order to assess safety of cord blood stem cells transplantation. To assess this aim, we surveyed 800 cord blood specimens by Real Time PCR.The overall HHV8 incidence in cord blood mononuclear cells was 1.38% and none of them was in lytic phase of HHV8. The authors suggest further HHV8 study on CB samples for transplantation.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus: clinical, diagnostic, and epidemiological aspects

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHI) is one of the few viruses proven to be associated with tumorigenesis in humans. Its causal association with all clinical and epidemiological variants of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is well established. KSHV is also involved in the pathogenesis of primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and a subset of multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD). Possible associations of KSHV with other clinical settings have been extensively examined. The findings from several of these studies are contradictory and are yet to be resolved. Concentrated effort over the last decade, since the initial discovery of KSHV, led to the development of several experimental systems that resulted in a better comprehension of the biological characteristics of KSHV and set the stage for the understanding of mechainisms by which diseases are induced by the virus. The development of molecular, histological, and serological tools for KSHV diagnosis allowed researchers to track the transmission and to study the epidemiology of KSHV. These assays have been applied, in particular in ambiguous cases, in order to confirm clinically and pathologically based diagnoses. Here, we review the advances in the clinical, experimental, diagnostic, and epidemiological research of KSHV.