title: High prevalence of antibodies to human herpesvirus 8 in relatives of patients with classic Kaposi's sarcoma from Sardinia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Angeloni
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heston
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uccini
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sirianni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cottoni
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Masala
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cerimele
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rigsby
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faggioni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D012737:Sex Factors; D014764:Viral Proteins
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; C119019:ORF65 protein, human herpesvirus 8; D014764:Viral Proteins