PMID: 9161780May 1, 1997Paper

Kaposi's-sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HIV-infected homosexuals more often than in heterosexuals

The Cancer Journal From Scientific American
D A RizzieriS T Traweek

Abstract

The Kaposi's-sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is thought likely to play an important part in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma, which is the most common tumor in AIDS patients. To determine whether peripheral blood is also infected by the virus, we prospectively tested mononuclear cells from HIV-infected individuals, both with and without Kaposi's sarcoma. Thirty-three patients with AIDS were studied. Twenty-three were homosexuals, and 10 of these patients had Kaposi's sarcoma. All 10 nonhomosexual patients were free of Kaposi's sarcoma. PCR amplification of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed for a 233-base-pair segment of Kaposi's-sarcoma-associated herpesvirus on all patients. Fisher's exact test was used to compare the patient groups. Kaposi's-sarcoma-associated herpesvirus sequences were detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of homosexual men both with (7/10) and without (5/13) Kaposi's sarcoma. However, none of the nonhomosexual patients (0/10) had detectable virus. Therefore, those with Kaposi's sarcoma are at greater risk for Kaposi's-sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection than patients without Kaposi's sarcoma, and among HIV-positive patients without Kaposi's sarcoma, homosexuals are more l...Continue Reading

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