Human herpesvirus 8 DNA in serum during seroconversion in allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients.
To determine the prevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection, the rate of HHV-8 seroconversion, and the presence of serum HHV-8 DNA after bone marrow transplantation (BMT), we evaluated sera from 187 Italian BMT donor-recipient pairs. Antibodies to lytic and latent HHV-8 antigens were detected by immunofluorescence. Sera of donor-recipient pairs who seroconverted were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Before BMT, 24 (13%) of 187 donors and 20 (11%) of 187 recipients were seropositive; after BMT, 28 (15%) of 187 recipients were seropositive. Seroconversion occurred in 19 (11%) of 167 recipients seronegative at baseline: 14 (9%) from 149 seronegative donors and five (28%) from 18 seropositive donors (relative risk of seroconversion with BMT from a seropositive donor = 2.96, 95% confidence interval = 1.21 to 7.25; P = .02, two-sided Fisher's exact test). One donor and two recipients who seroconverted after BMT were positive for HHV-8 by RT-PCR. No HHV-8-related complications were observed after a median follow-up of 6 years. BMT-associated HHV-8 seroconversion is relatively common in seronegative recipients from seropositive donor, but factors other than BMT may also contribute to seroconversion.
Department of Cellular Biotechnology and Hematology, University La Sapienza, Via Benevento 6, 00161 Rome, Italy. gentile@bce.uniroma1.it
Giuseppe
G
Gentile
Angela
A
Capobianchi
Antonio
A
Volpi
Giorgio
G
Palù
Francesca
F
Pica
Arianna
A
Calistri
Maria Angela
MA
Biasolo
Pietro
P
Martino
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012698:Serologic Tests; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral