High Prevalence of Antibodies to Human Herpesvirus 8 in Relatives of Patients with Classic Kaposi's Sarcoma from Sardinia

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 1998-06, Vol.177 (6), p.1715-1718
• Main Authors: Angeloni, Antonio, Heston, Lee, Uccini, Stefania, Sirianni, Maria Caterina, Cottoni, Francesca, Masala, Maria Vittoria, Cerimele, Decio, Lin, Su-Fang, Sun, Ren, Rigsby, Michael, Faggioni, Alberto, Miller, George
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Aged; AIDS/HIV; Analysis of the immune response. Humoral and cellular immunity; Antibodies; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Antibody production; Antigens; Antigens, Viral - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Capsid - immunology; Concise Communications; Epidemiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Herpesviridae; Herpesvirus 8, Human - genetics; Herpesvirus 8, Human - immunology; Human herpesvirus 8; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunobiology; Infections; Infectious diseases; Interpersonal Relations; Italy - epidemiology; Kaposi sarcoma; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - virology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Sarcoma, Kaposi - blood; Sarcoma, Kaposi - epidemiology; Sarcoma, Kaposi - immunology; Sarcoma, Kaposi - virology; Seroepidemiologic studies; Sex Factors; Siblings; Viral diseases; Viral diseases with cutaneous or mucosal lesions and viral diseases of the eye
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/517429

A survey for antibodies to a recombinant small viral capsid antigen (sVCA) of human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8) was conducted in Sardinia, one of the world's highest incidence areas for classic Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Prevalence of antibodies to HHV-8 sVCA was greatest in patients with KS (95%), followed by family members (39%) and a Sardinian control population age- and sex-matched to the relatives (11%). Within families, prevalence of antibodies was about equal among spouses, children, and siblings of KS patients, a finding that raises the possibilities of intrafamilial person-to-person or vertical transmission. Antibodies were detected 2–3 times more frequently in males than in females. The data show that prevalence of antibodies to HHV-8 sVCA correlates with the distribution of classic KS in a high- incidence area. Clustering of seroprevalence within some families suggests the presence of familial risk factors for active HHV-8 infection.