Human herpesvirus 8 infection among adolescents in the REACH cohort.
OBJECTIVE
Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection is common among children in areas where Kaposi sarcoma is endemic. Human herpesvirus 8 is uncommon in children but prevalent in adults at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the United States, including men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who engage in high-risk sexual behavior. We examined the prevalence and predictors of HHV-8 infection among adolescents with or at high risk for acquiring HIV infection.


METHODS
Cross-sectional analysis.


METHODS
National study of HIV infection among adolescents in primary care.


METHODS
A total of 537 young adults practicing high-risk sexual behavior, of which 403 were women and 134 were men; among the 134 men, 75% were MSM.


METHODS
Detailed questionnaires and testing for serum antibodies to HHV-8.


METHODS
Detection of serum antibodies to HHV-8.


RESULTS
Sixty (11.2%) of 537 young adults were HHV-8 seropositive, including 20 MSM (19.6%), 2 male heterosexuals (6.5%), and 27 female heterosexuals (8.2%). The prevalence of HHV-8 in HIV-positive MSM (17/74 [23.0%]) was twice as high as that in HIV-negative MSM (3/28 [10.7%]) (P = .18), but no characteristic predicted HHV-8 infection among MSM. In multivariate analysis, history of gonorrhea (odds ratio [OR], 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-5.7; P<.01), history of having sex with women (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.1-5.3; P = .03), and African American race (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.1-10.0; P = .03) were associated with HHV-8 infection among women.


CONCLUSIONS
Human herpesvirus 8 is common among US adolescents practicing high-risk sexual behaviors. Sexual identity, race, and sexual behavior may influence the risk of infection with HHV-8 in women.
Casper
Corey
C
Departments of Medicine, Laboratory Medicine, and Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. ccasper@u.washington.edu
Meier
Amalia S
AS
Wald
Anna
A
Morrow
Rhoda Ashley
RA
Corey
Lawrence
L
Moscicki
Anna-Barbara
AB
D000293:Adolescent; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology