Human Herpesvirus 8 in Australia: DNAemia and Cumulative Exposure in Blood Donors

• Published in: Viruses 2022-10, Vol.14 (10), p.2185
• Main Authors: Speicher, David J, Fryk, Jesse J, Kashchuk, Victoria, Faddy, Helen M, Johnson, Newell W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Antibodies; Australia - epidemiology; Blood & organ donations; Blood Donors; Blood transfusions; Castleman Disease - complications; Diagnosis; DNA; Effusion; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Herpesviridae Infections; Herpesvirus 8, Human - genetics; Human herpesvirus 8; Humans; Immune system; Infections; Kaposi's sarcoma; Kaposis sarcoma; Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus; Laboratories; Peptides; Plasma; Primary effusion lymphoma; Research ethics; safety; Sarcoma; Sarcoma, Kaposi - epidemiology; Serology; transfusion transmission; Viruses
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v14102185

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), the causative agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma, multicentric Castleman’s disease and primary effusion lymphoma, predominantly manifests in immunocompromised individuals. However, infection in immunocompetent individuals does occur. The prevalence of HHV-8 exposure in blood donors from non-endemic countries ranges between 1.2% and 7.3%. Nothing was known about the prevalence in Australian blood donors. Therefore, this study investigated the active and cumulative exposure of HHV-8 in this cohort. Plasma samples (n = 480) were collected from eastern Australian blood donors and were tested for HHV-8 DNA by qPCR, and for HHV-8 antibodies by two different ELISAs. Samples initially positive on either ELISA were retested in duplicate on both, and on a mock-coated ELISA. Any samples positive two or three out of the three times tested on at least one ELISA, and repeat negative on the mock-coated ELISA, were assigned as repeat positive. None of the 480 samples tested contained HHV-8 DNA. Serological testing revealed 28 samples (5.83%; 95% CI: 3.74−7.93%) had antibodies to HHV-8. There was no difference (p > 0.05) in seropositivity between sex or with increasing age. This is the first study to show serological evidence of cumulative HHV-8 exposure and no HHV-8 DNAemia within a select blood donor population in Australia. Our molecular and serological data is consistent with published results for blood donors residing in HHV-8 non-endemic countries, which shows the prevalence to be very low.