Presence of human herpesvirus 8 variants in the oral tissues of human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons.
A 210-bp DNA segment specific to the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) genome was amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction from 10 of 14 archived oral biopsy samples of HIV-positive patients in London who had no evidence of oral Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Various oral sites were represented. Oral tissues from 20 general dental patients not known to be HIV-infected were negative. When DNA sequences of these products were compared with sequences derived from 5 oral KS tissues of AIDS patients in London and 10 skin biopsies of Italian patients with Mediterranean KS (total number of positive tissues = 25), 11 were found to be unique. DNA and predicted peptide motifs of these sequences were also different from those in 28 of 36 HHV-8-positive lesions previously reported from American and African patients. HHV-8 is tropic for the oral mucosa of HIV-infected persons, and HHV-8 variants, though diverse, may be geographically restricted.
Di Alberti
L
L
Department of Oral Medicine, Eastman Dental Institute and Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
Ngui
S L
SL
Porter
S R
SR
Speight
P M
PM
Scully
C M
CM
Zakrewska
J M
JM
Williams
I G
IG
Artese
L
L
Piattelli
A
A
Teo
C G
CG
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001706:Biopsy; D002353:Carrier State; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology*; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000382:microbiology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics
D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins