Human herpesvirus 8: seroepidemiology among women and detection in the genital tract of seropositive women

J Infect Dis. 1999 Jan;179(1):234-6. doi: 10.1086/314563.

Abstract

An indirect IFA to detect antibodies against latent nuclear antigens of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) was used to determine the prevalence of HHV-8 antibodies in 169 women attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic and a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinic at a London hospital. Nested polymerase chain reaction was used to detect HHV-8 DNA in 93 blood samples and 89 cervical brush scrapes (CBS). Another 96 CBS from women attending a colposcopy clinic were also analyzed. The overall seroprevalence of HHV-8 was 18.3%. The seroprevalence was higher among women born in Africa (24.7%) than among women born elsewhere (11.5%; P=.06) and was independent of HIV serostatus. HHV-8 DNA was detected in 3 CBS and 6 peripheral blood samples from 11 HHV-8-seropositive women but not in CBS from 78 seronegative women, 96 women from the colposcopy clinic, or in blood samples from 82 seronegative women.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Africa / ethnology
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Cervix Uteri / virology
  • DNA, Viral / genetics
  • DNA, Viral / isolation & purification
  • Female
  • Herpesviridae Infections / epidemiology*
  • Herpesviridae Infections / immunology
  • Herpesviridae Infections / virology
  • Herpesvirus 8, Human / genetics*
  • Herpesvirus 8, Human / immunology*
  • Herpesvirus 8, Human / isolation & purification
  • Humans
  • London / epidemiology
  • Risk Factors
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • DNA, Viral