Increased seroprevalence of human herpes virus-8 in renal transplant recipients in Saudi Arabia.
BACKGROUND
Human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) is a herpes virus that is always associated with Kaposi's sarcoma. Previous studies suggested a high rate of Kaposi's sarcoma in renal transplant patients in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HHV-8 in Saudi renal transplant recipients and healthy controls.


METHODS
An immunofluorescence technique was used to detect antibodies to the latent nuclear antigen (LANA) of HHV-8 in renal transplant patients, members of a family affected with Kaposi sarcoma, as well as healthy controls.


RESULTS
A significantly higher HHV-8 seroprevalence was detected in renal transplant recipients from Saudi Arabia (27 out of 150; 18%) and in members of a family affected with Kaposi sarcoma (seven out of 10; 70%) relative to the seroprevalence in healthy controls (10 out of 577; 1.7%). Seropositivity for HHV-8 in these transplant patients was not significantly influenced by: the existence of relatives with kidney failure, the donors' country of origin, the recipients' home region within Saudi Arabia, the haemodialysis centre, the time that elapsed since the renal transplantation operation and the immunosuppressive regimen used.


CONCLUSIONS
The present results provide some explanation for the previously noted high incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma in Saudi transplant patients.
Alzahrani
Alhussein J
AJ
Department of Microbiology, King Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
El-Harith
El-Harith A
el-HA
Milzer
Jutta
J
Obeid
Obeid E
OE
Stuhrmann
Manfred
M
Al-Dayel
Adel
A
Mohamed
Eltayeb A
EA
Al-Egail
Siddig
S
Daoud
Majid
M
Chowdhury
Ayub
A
Guella
Adnane
A
Aloraifi
Ibrahim
I
Schulz
Thomas F
TF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000914:Antibodies, Viral