Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) antibodies in women from São Paulo, Brazil: association with behavioral factors and Kaposi's sarcoma

Confirming Shedding of Human Herpesvirus 8 in Urine from Infected Patients in Brazil

“…On the basis of clinical and epidemiological data, we may speculate that these patients were recently infected with HHV-8 or had KS at sites not yet identified. In agreement with this hypothesis, two out of five HHV-8-infected patients were found to be HHV-8 seropositive in immunofluorescence assays (6). In contrast, the relatively low rate of HHV-8 infection detected in the urine of KS patients may be the result of highly active antiretroviral therapy and/or ABV treatment to which these patients were submitted, which can contribute to virus clearance in blood and urine.…”

Latent human herpesvirus - 8 (HHV-8) infection in female commercial sex workers from Imbituba, Santa Catarina, Brazil

“…Signed informed consents were obtained after answering a questionnaire regarding demographic, socio-economic and behavior variables, and serum samples were collected for serological analysis. HHV-8 antibodies were detected using in-house immunofluorescence and Western blot assays based on BCBL-1 cell line that detected anti-latent and anti-lytic antibodies, as previously described [12]. These assays showed sensitivities of 75-91%, and specificities of 99-99.7%, respectively, in studies performed on Brazilian populations [12].…”

“…In Brazil, we disclosed frequencies of 7.4% and 8.6% of HHV-8 antibodies among HIV-1-infected women from São Paulo city, and pointed the "sexual route" (area where sex commerce is more intense) as the major one for HHV-8 transmission/acquisition [12]. Although these prevalence rates are dramatically lower than the one reported for HIV/AIDS homosexual/bisexual men from the same city (7.4-8.6% versus 30.4-34%, respectively) [3][4], and from San Francisco Bay Area (4.0% versus 30-35%, respectively) [13], other studies conducted in Africa, confirmed high HHV-8 seroprevalences in female mostly in commercial sex workers (CSW).…”

The first ten years: achievements and challenges of the Brazilian program of universal access to HIV/AIDS comprehensive management and care, 1996-2006

“…As the proportion of new AIDS cases among gay men declined in Brazil and increased among women, incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma declined dramatically since, for unclear reasons, women seem to be relatively protected from the full development of Kaposi's sarcoma, even when they are infected by the human herpesvirus-8 72 . But owing to the major epidemiological changes that took place in Brazil, in parallel with the continuous reformulation of ARV therapies, it may be impossible to disentangle the specific impact of the changing profile of at-risk populations over time from the impact of mono, dual, and HAART therapy on Kaposi's sarcoma.…”