Prevalence of infection with human herpesvirus 8/Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus in rural South Africa.
OBJECTIVE
To determine prevalence of infection with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)/Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) and to gain some insight into possible transmission dynamics of this novel virus in South Africa.


METHODS
Stored, anonymous serum from 50 patients with a sexually transmitted disease (STD), 50 adult medical ward patients (25 male, 25 female), and 36 paediatric ward patients in Hlabisa Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal, was screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibodies to the small capsid-related protein encoded by HHV-8/KSHV orf65. Antibodies to the latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) were measured by immunofluorescence, and sera that were reactive in the ELISA but negative by immunofluorescence were re-tested by Western blot against the recombinant orf65 protein to exclude nonspecific reactivity.


RESULTS
Overall, 47 patients tested positive (34.6%), 76 tested negative (55.9%) and 13 (9.5%) had indeterminate results. Among those with a definite result, prevalence was similar among males (47.2%) and females (52.8%) and increased in later adulthood (< 18 months 37.5%, 19-120 months 38.5%, 15-34 years 32.1%, 35-69 years 62.8%). Prevalence was highest among medical patients (58.1%); among those with an STD it was 31.1% (P = 0.01), and among children it was 22.8% (P = 0.001). When age-adjusted, prevalence among medical patients (23.7%) was similar to that among patients with an STD.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevalence of HHV-8/KSHV is high in this setting and transmission appears to be occurring in childhood as well as among adults. Larger population-based studies are required to detail the transmission dynamics of HHSV-8/KSHV.
Wilkinson
D
D
Centre for Epidemiological Research in Southern Africa, Medical Research Council, Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal.
Sheldon
J
J
Gilks
C F
CF
Schulz
T F
TF
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral