title: Increased prevalence of human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8) genome among blood donors from North-Western Argentina.
abstract: The prevalence of HHV-8 infection varies widely in South American populations, displaying geographical variations in its distribution. The heterogeneous genetic contributions provided by the transatlantic parental populations that modified the Native American genomes may explain this epidemiological observation. Aiming to determine the prevalence of HHV-8 genome among healthy South American blood donors and its potential association with genetic ancestry, 772 individuals were screened by a highly sensitive PCR protocol and ancestry was assessed in 414 samples. HHV-8 DNA was significantly more prevalent among North-western Argentines than among those from the metropolitan region (P = 0.001) and Bolivians (P = 0.0008), but no differences were found when compared with Peruvians and Paraguayans. Although significant differences were observed in the ancestry components of the studied populations, no association was found in the genetic admixture between HHV-8 [+] and HHV-8 [-] samples from the same place. These results support the hypothesis of the existence of geographical factors related to HHV-8 prevalence which could be explained by the presence of specific risk factors, cultural characteristics or behaviors, probably related to contaminated saliva and/or sexual transmission. The presence of HHV-8 in South American blood units available for transfusion and an increased risk of infection in some provinces of North-western Argentina represent a hazard for immunosuppressed recipients. J. Med. Virol. 89:518-527, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors: Basic Science and Experimental Medicine Institute (ICBME), University Institute of the Italian Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: María Laura
authors: ML
authors: Hulaniuk
authors: Transfusion Medicine Unit, "Ramón Sardá" Maternity Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Oscar
authors: O
authors: Torres
authors: Transfusion Medicine Unit, "Pablo Soria" Hospital, San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina.
authors: Sonia
authors: S
authors: Bartoli
authors: Transfusion Medicine Unit, Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Lisandro
authors: L
authors: Fortuny
authors: Transfusion Medicine Unit, Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Leandro
authors: L
authors: Burgos Pratx
authors: Transfusion Medicine Unit, Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Félix
authors: F
authors: Nuñez
authors: Transfusion Medicine Unit, Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Horacio
authors: H
authors: Salamone
authors: Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología, Cátedra de Genética Forense y Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas, Buenos Aires, Argentina.|National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Corach
authors: Basic Science and Experimental Medicine Institute (ICBME), University Institute of the Italian Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina.|National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Julieta
authors: J
authors: Trinks
authors: Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología, Cátedra de Genética Forense y Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas, Buenos Aires, Argentina.|National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Mariela
authors: M
authors: Caputo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D044469:Racial Groups; D013020:South America / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral
keywords: North-Western Argentina; South American blood donors; ancestry; epidemiology; human herpesvirus type 8 (Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus)