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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 1999, p. 1150-1153, Vol. 37, No. 4
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Human Herpesvirus 8 Seroprevalence and Evaluation of Nonsexual Transmission Routes by Detection of DNA in Clinical Specimens from Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Seronegative Patients from Central and Southern Italy, with and without Kaposi's Sarcoma

Paola Cattani,1,* Maria Capuano,2 Francesca Cerimele,1 Ilaria Lesnoni La Parola,2 Rosaria Santangelo,1 Cinzia Masini,2 Decio Cerimele,2 and Giovanni Fadda1

Institute of Microbiology1 and Institute of Dermatology,2 Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy

Received 23 March 1998/Returned for modification 28 May 1998/Accepted 15 January 1999

In order to investigate the seroprevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection in central and southern Italy, sera from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seronegative subjects, with and without Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), were analyzed by immunofluorescence assay, using BC-3, a cell line latently infected with HHV-8. High titers of antibody against HHV-8 lytic and latent antigens were detected in all 50 KS patients studied, while in 50 HIV-seronegative subjects without KS, 32 (64%) were found positive for HHV-8 antibodies. Titers in the sera of these patients were lower than those for KS patients. This data suggests that HHV-8 infection is not restricted to KS patients and that the prevalence of HHV-8 infection in the general population may be correlated with differing rates of prevalence of KS in different parts of the world. In view of these findings, possible nonsexual transmission routes were evaluated. Nested PCR was used to test for the presence of HHV-8 DNA in saliva, urine, and tonsillar swabs from KS and non-KS patients. In KS patients, 14 out of 32 tonsillar swabs (43.7%), 11 out of 24 saliva samples (45.8%), and just 2 out of 24 urine samples (8.3%) tested positive for HHV-8 DNA. In the control group, on the contrary, none of the 20 saliva and 20 urine specimens was positive for HHV-8 DNA; only 1 out of 22 tonsillar swabs gave a positive result. This data supports the hypothesis that HHV-8 infects the general population in a latent form. The reactivation of viral infection may result in salivary shedding of HHV-8, contributing to viral spread by nonsexual transmission routes.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Paola Cattani, Istituto di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy. Phone: 39-6-30154964. Fax: 39-6-3051152. E-mail: p_cattani{at}iol.it.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 1999, p. 1150-1153, Vol. 37, No. 4
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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