title: Human herpesvirus 8 infection in children and adults in a population-based study in rural Uganda.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological factors associated with HHV-8 infection in children and adults to determine HHV-8 seroprevalence and potential routes of transmission.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 1383 children and 1477 adults from a population-based sample in a rural community in Uganda. Serum samples were tested for HHV-8 antibodies with use of an enzyme immunoassay against K8.1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HHV-8 seroprevalence increased from 16% among children aged 1.5-2 years to 32% among children aged 10-13 years (P <.001) and from 37% among participants aged 14-19 years to 49% among adults aged ≥ 50 years (P <.05). HHV-8 seropositivity in children was independently associated with residing with a seropositive parent (P < .001) and residing with ≥ 1 other seropositive child aged <14 years (P < .001). History of sharing food and/or sauce plates was marginally associated with HHV-8 infection in children (P = .05). Among 1404 participants aged ≥ 15 years , there was no association between correlates of sexual behavior (eg, number of lifetime sex partners and HIV infection) and HHV-8 seropositivity (P > .10).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that HHV-8 is acquired primarily through horizontal transmission in childhood from intrafamilial contacts and that transmission continues into adulthood potentially through nonsexual routes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics & Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA. lbutler@psg.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Willy A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Were
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Balinandi
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Downing
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dollard
authors.forename: Torsten B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Neilands
authors.forename: Sundeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Rutherford
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mermin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral