Human herpesvirus 8 oral shedding in HIV-infected men with and without Kaposi sarcoma

• Published in: Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) Vol. 42; no. 4; p. 420
• Main Authors: Widmer, Isabelle C, Erb, Peter, Grob, Heini, Itin, Peter, Baumann, Michele, Stalder, Aline, Weber, Rainer, Cathomas, Gieri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2006
• Subjects: Adult; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Herpesvirus 4, Human - physiology; Herpesvirus 8, Human - physiology; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - virology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mouth Mucosa - virology; Sarcoma, Kaposi - complications; Sarcoma, Kaposi - virology; Virus Shedding
• ISSN: 1525-4135
• DOI: 10.1097/01.qai.0000226790.31463.e6

Two main routes of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) transmission are known: sexual, predominantly in men who have sex with men; and nonsexual, in endemic populations. Both routes implicate saliva, so identifying the factors that influence oral HHV-8 shedding is important. Using polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, we prospectively analyzed HHV-8 infection of oral epithelial cells in 98 Swiss HIV Cohort Study patients, with mean follow-up of 9.4 years, and correlated data to immune status, HHV-8 serology, and Kaposi sarcoma (KS) history, as well as survival. Sixty-eight (43.9%) of the 98 men were HHV-8 seropositive, and 33 (33.67%) had a history of KS. In both groups, men who have sex with men were significantly more affected than heterosexuals (P < 0.05). Of 77 patients, 9 (11.6%) were oral HHV-8 polymerase chain reaction positive, and 2 of these were also positive by immunohistochemistry. Oral HHV-8 detection was not influenced by the immune status, but a trend toward higher detection was observed in patients with KS (P = 0.084). Oral HHV-8 shedding had no predictive value either for the development of KS lesions or for survival. Human herpesvirus 8 can be present in oral epithelial cells and is shed independent of the patient's immune status, indicating that oral HHV-8 shedding may occur at any time in HHV-8-seropositive individuals.