Seroprevalence and determinants of Kaposi sarcoma-associated human herpesvirus 8 in Indian HIV-infected males.
In India Kaposi's sarcoma is rarely seen in AIDS patients. Hence the current belief is that the incidence of human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) is very low in this subcontinent, most probably due to the heterosexual route of HIV transmission. However, there is a scarcity of data on the prevalence of HHV-8 in India. In India the primary mode of HIV transmission is the heterosexual route. Therefore we aimed to determine the prevalence of antibodies against HHV-8 in North Indian HIV-infected men naive of antiretroviral therapy (ART). In a prospective study, 165 Indian adult males were recruited from an ART clinic. Blood samples were collected before administering any antiretroviral drug. The sera were tested for antibodies against HHV-8 using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, which detects IgG antibodies to lytic antigens of HHV-8. All positive samples were confirmed for the presence of anti-HHV-8 antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The IFA kit is intended to detect primary, latent, persistent, or reactivated infection of HHV-8. Of the 165 males, 43 (26.06%) were positive by ELISA while 26 (15.8%) were also positive by IFA. Seroprevalence decreased with increasing age (p<0.05). Factors independently associated with HHV-8 infection were younger age group and alcohol consumption. These findings suggest that even in a heterosexual population, HHV-8 can be transmitted frequently.
1 Division of Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences , New Delhi, India .
Arshi
A
Munawwar
Surendra K
SK
Sharma
Somesh
S
Gupta
Sarman
S
Singh
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult