title: Human herpesvirus-8 infection among heterosexual partners of patients with classical Kaposi's sarcoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  DNA sequences of human herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) are found in lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To verify the hypothesis of the sexual transmission of HHV8 infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the immunoperoxidase assay to study the prevalence of serum antibodies to HHV8-related antigens in 27 consorts of patients with classical KS, and in a control group of 25 healthy women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four per cent of the study group were positive, compared with 8% of the controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sexual route may be one of the possible ways of transmission of the HHV8 virus.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Dermatologia, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Boneschi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taglioni
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000821:virology; D015229:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral / Q000635:transmission*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral