Human herpesvirus 8 oral shedding in HIV-infected men with and without Kaposi sarcoma.
OBJECTIVE
Two main routes of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) transmission are known: sexual, predominantly in men who have sex with men; and nonsexual, in endemic populations. Both routes implicate saliva, so identifying the factors that influence oral HHV-8 shedding is important.


METHODS
Using polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, we prospectively analyzed HHV-8 infection of oral epithelial cells in 98 Swiss HIV Cohort Study patients, with mean follow-up of 9.4 years, and correlated data to immune status, HHV-8 serology, and Kaposi sarcoma (KS) history, as well as survival.


RESULTS
Sixty-eight (43.9%) of the 98 men were HHV-8 seropositive, and 33 (33.67%) had a history of KS. In both groups, men who have sex with men were significantly more affected than heterosexuals (P < 0.05). Of 77 patients, 9 (11.6%) were oral HHV-8 polymerase chain reaction positive, and 2 of these were also positive by immunohistochemistry. Oral HHV-8 detection was not influenced by the immune status, but a trend toward higher detection was observed in patients with KS (P = 0.084). Oral HHV-8 shedding had no predictive value either for the development of KS lesions or for survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Human herpesvirus 8 can be present in oral epithelial cells and is shed independent of the patient's immune status, indicating that oral HHV-8 shedding may occur at any time in HHV-8-seropositive individuals.
Widmer
Isabelle C
IC
Laboratory for Pathology of Infectious Diseases, Cantonal Institute of Pathology, Liestal, Switzerland.
Erb
Peter
P
Grob
Heini
H
Itin
Peter
P
Baumann
Michele
M
Stalder
Aline
A
Weber
Rainer
R
Cathomas
Gieri
G
D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000502:physiology; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000821:virology; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D017201:Virus Shedding