title: Is classic Kaposi's sarcoma endemic in Peru?: report of a case in an indigenous patient.
abstract: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) has been classified in four clinical variants (classic or Mediterranean; endemic or African; epidemic or AIDS-related; iatrogenic or immunosuppression-related). Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), has been found in all these variants. We herein discuss the unusual presentation of a 53-year-old indigenous patient with purplish-brown nodular lesions on lower extremities, and miliary tuberculosis. ELISA-HIV tests were negative and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of the tumor tissue was positive for HHV-8. This is the first reported case in which the presence of HHV-8 was evidenced by means of IHC techniques in Peru. We also review all available Peruvian literature of classic KS, a disease that has been frequently reported in indigenous population of Peru since 1968, making this country a possible endemic zone of classic KS.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru. salim17@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohanna
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Maco
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gown
authors.forename: Domingo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bravo
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gotuzzo
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010568:Peru; D044382:Population Groups; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral