Socio-economic and other correlates of Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus seroprevalence among older adults in Sicily.
The virus that causes Kaposi sarcoma, KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV, also known as human herpesvirus 8) has an unusual distribution and poorly characterized modes of transmission. To clarify these issues, socio-demographic correlates of KSHV seroprevalence were examined in a population-based study. In 1,154 randomly sampled adults (aged 32- 92, mean 71 years) throughout Sicily, KSHV antibodies were detected with four assays and a conservative algorithm. Seroprevalence was re-weighted to the population. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (OR, CI) from multivariate logistic regression were used to estimate associations of seroprevalence with interview data. KSHV seroprevalence was 8.5%, including 5.3% among men (N = 848) and 11.5% among women (N = 306, P = 0.22). Seroprevalence was higher with residence in a smaller community during childhood (P(trend) = 0.03) and working with plants/soil during adulthood (OR 2.9, CI 1.1-7.9); these were especially strong among women. Among men, seroprevalence was significantly associated with lower education (OR 2.6, CI 1.1-5.9) and migration to a larger community (OR 0.3, CI 0.1-0.9). Other demographic and household variables were unrelated to seroprevalence. From these data, KSHV in Sicily appears to be related to low socio-economic status, but micro-endemicity in small communities cannot be excluded.
Pelser
Colleen
C
Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland 20892, USA.
Vitale
Francesco
F
Whitby
Denise
D
Graubard
Barry I
BI
Messina
Angelo
A
Gafà
Lorenzo
L
Brown
Elizabeth E
EE
Anderson
Lesley A
LA
Romano
Nino
N
Lauria
Carmela
C
Goedert
James J
JJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012802:Sicily / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
D000914:Antibodies, Viral