Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) antibodies in women from São Paulo, Brazil. Association with behavioral factors and Kaposi's sarcoma.
BACKGROUND
With the spread of AIDS, many HIV-infected women have been diagnosed with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), especially in Africa. Since the discovery of a novel herpesvirus as the causative agent of KS (human herpesvirus 8 - HHV-8) several seroepidemiological studies have been conducted to identify groups at risk for KS. The risk for women in Brazil has not been studied.


METHODS
We searched for HHV-8 antibodies in sera obtained from a bank made up of samples from 3 groups of individuals: Group I: 163 HIV-1-infected women attended at an ambulatory clinic in 1994; Group II: 108 children born to HIV-1-infected mothers from 1990 to 1992, their antibodies reflected maternal infection, and Group III: 630 HIV-1-seronegative, healthy women. In-house immunofluorescence and Western-Blot assays based on the BCBL-1 cell line were used to detect anti-latent and anti-lytic HHV-8 antibodies.


RESULTS
Group I had an overall frequency of antibodies of 8.6%, with a 1.2% frequency of anti-latent antibodies and an 8.0% frequency of anti-lytic antibodies. Similar results were detected in Group II, i.e., no cases with anti-latent antibodies and a 7.4% frequency of anti-lytic antibodies. In contrast, prevalences of 1.1% anti-latent antibodies and 0.3% anti-lytic antibodies were observed in Group III.


CONCLUSIONS
The epidemiologic pattern of HHV-8 in women from São Paulo varies according to behavioral factors, with emphasis on the sexual and blood routes of virus transmission/acquisition. Although HHV-8 anti-lytic antibodies were found in HIV-1-infected women, no case of KS was detected. Protective factors against KS are probably related to gender and/or to antiretroviral therapies introduced in Brazil since 1994.
Caterino-De-Araujo
Adele
A
Immunology Department, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Secretary of Health of São Paulo, Brazil. caterino@ial.sp.gov.br
de los Santos-Fortuna
Elizabeth
E
Carbone
Paulo Henrique Lage
PH
Cibella
Sandra Elisa Lopes
SE
Moreira
Abdiel Aparecido
AA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique / Q000379:methods; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000914:Antibodies, Viral