Evaluation of the human herpesvirus 8 DNA load in blood and Kaposi's sarcoma skin lesions from AIDS patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) DNA load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) skin lesions of subjects with AIDS and to correlate these measures with the tumour load.


METHODS
Assessment of the HHV-8 DNA load was performed every 3 months in PBMC and every 6 months in KS skin lesions from seven subjects with AIDS who were receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).


METHODS
The HHV-8 DNA load was determined by a quantitative-competitive PCR using 0.2 microg of DNA from PBMC or KS skin biopsies. Staging of KS was performed by evaluating the number and type of cutaneous KS lesions.


RESULTS
The three subjects with the most extensive and active (nodular) KS had the highest amounts of HHV-8 DNA in KS skin lesions and the lowest CD4 T cell counts (< 200 x 10(6)/l). In contrast, the four other subjects with regressing KS while on HAART had a low viral load in their KS lesions. All but one subject who also had multicentric Castleman's disease had low amounts of HHV-8 DNA in PBMC.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a strong relationship between the tumour burden and the HHV-8 viral load in KS skin lesions of subjects with AIDS, reinforcing the causal link between this herpesvirus and AIDS-related KS.
Boivin
G
G
Infectious Disease Research Center of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Sainte-Foy, Canada.
Gaudreau
A
A
Routy
J P
JP
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia
D004279:DNA, Viral