Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection and Kaposi's sarcoma in Brazil

Abstract

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) became a critical health issue with the emergence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the 1980s. Four clinical-epidemiological forms of KS have been described: classical KS, endemic KS, iatrogenic KS, and AIDS-associated KS. In 1994, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) or human herpesvirus type 8 was identified by Chang and colleagues, and has been detected worldwide at frequencies ranging from 80 to 100%. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of KSHV infection in KS lesions from HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients in Brazil, as well as to review the current knowledge about KS transmission and detection. For these purposes, DNA from 51 cases of KS was assessed by PCR: 20 (39.2%) cases of classical KS, 29 (56.9%) of AIDS-associated KS and 2 (3.9%) of iatrogenic KS. Most patients were males (7.5:1, M/F), and mean age was 47.9 years (SD = ± 18.7 years). As expected, HIV-positive KS patients were younger than patients with classical KS. On the other hand, patients with AIDS-associated KS have early lesions (patch and plaque) compared to classical KS patients (predominantly nodular lesions). This is assumed to be the result of the early diagnose of KS in the HIVpositive setting. KSHV infection was detected by PCR in almost all cases (48/51; 94.1%), irrespectively of the clinical-epidemiological form of KS. These results show that KSHV is associated with all forms of KS in Brazilian patients, a fact that supports the role of this virus in KS pathogenesis. Correspondence

Detection of Human Herpes Virus 8 in Kaposi’s sarcoma tissues at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia

“…An Iranian study reported the presence of HHV-8 DNA in 83.3% (30/36) of the KS tissues [ 1 ]. Several other studies have also reported high detection rates of HHV-8 DNA in KS tissue biopsies [ 28 – 30 ]. Our findings along with those from other studies emphasize the pathogenic role of HHV-8 in the development of KS [ 31 , 32 ].…”

Clinical, histological and immunohistochemical findings in oral Kaposi's sarcoma in a series of Mexican AIDS patients. Comparative study

“…Several studies, since Chang et al. (25) , initial description, have reported the presence of HHV‐8 DNA in KS using PCR and immunohistochemical methods (15, 26–28). Accordingly, in the present study, all OKS cases were positive for HHV‐8, and as expected, it was negative in OPG (19).…”

AIDS‐related Kaposi's sarcoma in Brazil: trends and geopolitical distribution

“…There are few studies and case reports of KS and serologic studies of HHV‐8 in patients with AIDS in Brazil. There are no published data on the effect of ART on AIDS‐related KS in Brazil.…”