High prevalence in Central Africa of blood donors who are potentially infectious for human herpesvirus 8.
BACKGROUND
In western countries, the transmission of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) via blood transfusion has been recently postulated. In sub-Saharan African, the incidence of HHV-8-associated Kaposi's sarcoma and the seroprevalence for HHV-8 in autochthonous populations are high.


METHODS
The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of blood donations potentially infectious for HHV-8 in the general adult population of Central Africa. Forty-nine blood donors at the Centre de Transfusion Sanguine in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, were selected. Forty-five inpatients of Broussais Hospital, Paris, France, who were known to be seronegative for HIV and hepatitis B and C viruses and who had not received heart or kidney transplants, were chosen as a European "control" group for comparison. HHV-8 DNA sequences were detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by nested polymerase chain reaction using primer sets located in the HHV-8 open reading frame 26.


RESULTS
Eleven (22.5%; 95% CI: 12%-37%) of 49 blood donors were positive for HHV-8. Three (6%) were HIV-1 seropositive. Two (67%) of the 3 HIV-infected blood donors were also positive for HHV-8. All blood donors were apparently healthy; none was known to suffer from Kaposi's sarcoma. Only one (2.2%) control was carrying HHV-8 DNA on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The prevalence of HHV-8 was higher in blood donors from Bangui than in patients from Broussais Hospital.


CONCLUSIONS
HHV-8 infection is highly prevalent in an apparently healthy adult population from Central Africa, which raises concerns about HHV-8 transmission through transfusion in this setting.
Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital Broussais, Paris, France.
L
L
Bélec
N
N
Cancré
M C
MC
Hallouin
J
J
Morvan
A
A
Si Mohamed
G
G
Grésenguet
D000328:Adult; D000350:Africa, Central / Q000453:epidemiology; D001782:Blood Donors; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D004279:DNA, Viral