Infection with human herpesvirus type 8 and human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 among individuals participating in a case–control study in Havana City, Cuba

• Published in: British journal of cancer Vol. 87; no. 11; pp. 1253 - 1256
• Main Authors: Fernandez, L, Serraino, D, Rezza, G, Lence, J, Ortiz, R M, Cruz, T, Vaccarella, S, Sarmati, L, Andreoni, M, Franceschi, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 18.11.2002; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Age Factors; Aged; AIDS; Antibodies; Antibodies, Viral - analysis; Antigens; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer Research; Carcinogens; Case-Control Studies; Confidence intervals; Cuba - epidemiology; Drug Resistance; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidemiology; Female; Herpes viruses; Herpesviridae Infections - epidemiology; Herpesviridae Infections - etiology; Herpesvirus 8, Human - immunology; Herpesvirus 8, Human - pathogenicity; HIV; HTLV-I Infections - epidemiology; HTLV-I Infections - etiology; Human herpesvirus; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - immunology; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - pathogenicity; Humans; Infections; Kaposis sarcoma; Leukemia; Male; Males; Medical research; Middle Aged; Molecular Medicine; Odds Ratio; Oncology; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Sarcoma, Kaposi - epidemiology; Sarcoma, Kaposi - etiology; Sarcoma, Kaposi - virology; Scandals; Serology; Sexual behavior; Sexually transmitted diseases; STD; Urban Population; Working groups; Cuba; Rome Italy; Italy; British Isles; ASW, Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles, Cuba; Cuba; prevalence; HHV-8; risk factors; HTLV-1; Kaposi's sarcoma
• ISSN: 0007-0920; 1532-1827; 1532-1827
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600613

Infection with human herpesvirus type 8 and with human T-cell leukaemia virus type-1 shows strong geographic variations. We conducted this study to assess prevalence and risk factors for human herpesvirus type 8 infection in Havana City, Cuba. Information and residual serum samples already collected for a hospital based case–control study were used. A total of 379 individuals (267 males and 112 females; median age=63 years) were evaluated. Antibodies to the lytic antigen of human herpesvirus type 8 were detected by using an immunofluorescence assay, while human T-cell leukaemia virus type-1 serology was performed by means of an ELISA test (alpha Biotech). Overall, 64 subjects (16.9%, 95% confidence interval: 13.1–20.0) were positive for human herpesvirus type 8 antibodies. Human herpesvirus type 8 seroprevalence significantly increased with age (odds ratio=1.9 for ⩾65 vs <55 years), and was twice as frequent in blacks than in whites. No association emerged with gender, socio-economic indicators, family size, history of sexually transmitted disease, sexual behaviour. Overall, 16 persons had anti-human T-cell leukaemia virus type-1 antibodies (4.2%, 95% confidence interval: 2.2–6.4). No relationship emerged between human T-cell leukaemia virus type-1 and human herpesvirus type 8 serostatus. The study findings indicate that human herpesvirus type 8 infection is relatively common in Havana City, Cuba, suggesting that Cuba may represent an intermediate endemical area. Sexual transmission does not seem to play a major role in the spread human herpesvirus type 8 infection.