Human herpesvirus 8 genomes and seroprevalence in United States blood donors.
BACKGROUND
Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is a gamma-herpesvirus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma. The prevalence of HHV-8 genomes in US blood donors has not been systemically studied.


METHODS
A sensitive and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to detect HHV-8 DNA from purified CD19+ B lymphocytes from randomly selected US whole blood donors. Cellular target for the GAPDH gene was used to quantify cell-equivalent DNA. HHV-8 PCR was run in duplicate for each donor specimen along with an HHV-8 genomic copy standard. HHV-8 antibodies were detected by an indirect immunofluorescence assay.


RESULTS
Specimens were obtained from 962 blood donors. DNA from more than 3 x 10(5) B-cell equivalents were obtained from 684 donors. No HHV-8 DNA was detected from any of the blood donor specimens. For the 684 donors, HHV-8 genomes were not detected in the DNA equivalent of 3 x 10(5) to 6 x 10(5) CD19+ B cells with real-time PCR, which has a detection limit of eight copies (95% confidence interval, 0-3/684). Negative results from the remaining 220 donors were potentially confounded by insufficient input DNA into the PCR procedures. Antibodies to HHV-8 were detected in 7.3% (70/962) of the donors. HHV-8 genomes were not detected from 40 of 70 HHV-8-seropositive donor B-cell DNA samples.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that the prevalence of detectable HHV-8 genomes in healthy blood donors is very low.
Qu
Lirong
L
Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. lqu@itxm.org
Jenkins
Frank
F
Triulzi
Darrell J
DJ
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D018941:Antigens, CD19 / Q000097:blood; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology; D001782:Blood Donors; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D018941:Antigens, CD19; D004279:DNA, Viral