Analysis of Human Herpesvirus Type 8 Infection in AIDS-Related and AIDS-Unrelated Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 175; no. 5; pp. 1193 - 1197
• Main Authors: Gaidano, Gianluca, Capello, Daniela, Pastore, Cristina, Antinori, Andrea, Gloghini, Annunziata, Carbone, Antonino, Larocca, Luigi Maria, Saglio, Giuseppe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.05.1997; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: AIDS; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections - virology; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinogenesis, carcinogens and anticarcinogens; Cell lines; Central Nervous System Neoplasms - complications; Central Nervous System Neoplasms - pathology; Central Nervous System Neoplasms - virology; Concise Communications; DNA Primers; DNA, Viral - chemistry; Epstein Barr virus infections; Herpesviridae; Herpesviridae Infections - complications; Herpesviridae Infections - virology; Herpesvirus 4, Human - isolation & purification; Herpesvirus 8, Human - genetics; Herpesvirus 8, Human - isolation & purification; Human herpesvirus 8; Humans; Infections; Lymphoma; Lymphoma, AIDS-Related - complications; Lymphoma, AIDS-Related - pathology; Lymphoma, AIDS-Related - virology; Lymphoma, B-Cell - complications; Lymphoma, B-Cell - pathology; Lymphoma, B-Cell - virology; Medical sciences; Nucleotide sequences; Poisson Distribution; Polymerase chain reaction; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Tumors; Viruses; Gammaherpesvirinae; Human; Immunopathology; Copy number; Herpesviridae; Virological exploration; Etiopathogenesis; Central nervous system; AIDS; Malignant hemopathy; Non Hodgkin lymphoma; Immune deficiency; Infection; Virus; Lymphoproliferative syndrome; Viral disease; DNA; Central nervous system disease; Detection
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/593456

Human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8) has been proposed as a pathogenetic factor for immunosuppression-associated primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). To verify this hypothesis, HHV-8 infection was investigated in 31 persons with PCNSL (16 AIDS-related, 15 AIDS-unrelated) and in 30 persons with systemic B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (B-NHL; 15 AIDS-related, 15 AIDS-unrelated). All subjects with PCNSL scored negative by single-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR), suggesting a tumor virus load of < 100 viral copies/200,000 human haploid genome equivalents (HHGE). By applying Poisson assumptions to nested PCR, 16 of 31 persons with PCNSL were devoid of HHV-8 sequences: 1 subject with AIDS and PCNSL had 1–100 viral copies/200,000 HHGE, and 14 with PCNSL had <1 viral copy/200,000 HHGE. Similarly, 10 of 30 persons with systemic B-NHL were devoid of HHV-8 sequences; 20 had <1 viral copy/200,000 HHGE. The extremely low levels of infection rule out a role of HHV-8 in PCNSL pathogenesis and are consistent with HHV-8 infection of bystander cells contaminating the tumor clone.