Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus load in biopsies of cutaneous and oral Kaposi's sarcoma lesions.
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.
Pak
Fatemeh
F
Immunopathology Laboratory, Cancer Centre Karolinska, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, 171-76 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. parpak@ki.se
Mwakigonja
Amos R
AR
Kokhaei
Parviz
P
Hosseinzadeh
Nahid
N
Pyakurel
Pawan
P
Kaaya
Ephata
E
Bogdanovic
Gordana
G
Selivanova
Galina
G
Biberfeld
Peter
P
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
D004279:DNA, Viral