title: Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus load in biopsies of cutaneous and oral Kaposi's sarcoma lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate human herpesvirus 8/Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (HHV-8/KSHV) viral load in diagnostic, (formalin fixed, paraffinised) biopsies and patient serum during tumour progression of oral and cutaneous AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (AKS), and endemic Kaposi's sarcoma (EKS) by a sensitive and specific quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty six biopsies of both AKS (oral and cutaneous AKS, 68) and EKS (cutaneous EKS, 18) were evaluated by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The viral load in human tumour tissue and serum of some individual patients were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher viral load as well as frequency of latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA)+ tumour spindle cells (SC) and number of LANA granules per SC was found in oral AKS compared to cutaneous AKS. Although few cases were available, serum viral load appeared to decrease compared to tumour tissue during KS progression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The higher viral load in oral rather than cutaneous AKS is consistent with the well recognised reservoir function of the oral mucosa. Decrease of serum HHV-8 load during KS progression may indicate decreased virus release and/or increased virus clearance.
authors.affiliation: Immunopathology Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, 171-76 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. parpak@ki.se
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pak
authors.forename: Amos R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Mwakigonja
authors.forename: Parviz
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kokhaei
authors.forename: Nahid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hosseinzadeh
authors.forename: Pawan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pyakurel
authors.forename: Ephata
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaaya
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bogdanovic
authors.forename: Galina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Selivanova
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Biberfeld
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D001706:Biopsy; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D018450:Disease Progression; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D009055:Mouth / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral