title: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV8): key aspects of epidemiology and pathogenesis.
abstract: The search for a transmissible infectious agent as the cause of Kaposi's sarcoma lead to the discovery in 1994 of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV8). KSHV is the only human gamma2 herpesvirus (rhadinovirus) known so far, and is also associated with two other AIDS-related lymphoproliferative disorders: primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and the plasma-cell variant of multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD). This review addresses key aspects of KSHV epidemiology, life cycle and pathogenesis, including the role played by key latent and lytic KSHV genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viejo-Borbolla
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Schulz
mesh_terms: D005871:Castleman Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016483:Lymphoma, AIDS-Related / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017735:Virus Latency
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins