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IJE Advance Access published online on July 25, 2005
International Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/ije/dyi131
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Published by Oxford University Press 2005
Accepted June 3, 2005

Original paper

Correlates of Human Herpesvirus-8 DNA detection among adults in Italy without Kaposi sarcoma

Elizabeth E. Brown 1*, Denise Whitby 2, Francesco Vitale 3, Paola Cordiali Fei 4, Carla Del Carpio 5, Vickie Marshall 2, Anthony J. Alberg 6, Diego Serraino 7, Angelo Messina 8, Lorenzo Gafa 9, James J. Goedert 10, and the Classical Kaposi Sarcoma Working Group{dagger}

1 Viral Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Rockville, MD, USA; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
2 Viral Epidemiology Section, AIDS Vaccine Program, SAIC-Frederick, NCI-Frederick, Frederick, MD, USA
3 Dipartimento di Igiene e Microbiologia ‘Giuseppe D'Alessandro’, Universitá degli studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
4 San Gallicano Hospital, Roma, Italy
5 Ospedale dei Bambini--ARNAS Servizio analisi Chimico-Cliniche, Palermo, Italy
6 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
7 Dipartimento di Epidemiologia, Istituto Nazionale Malattie Infettive L. Spallanzani, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
8 Departimento di Scienze Biomediche, Universitá degli studi di Catania, Catania, Italy
9 Lega Italiana per la lotta contro i tumori- sez. Ragusa, Ragusa, Italy
10 Viral Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Rockville, MD, USA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Elizabeth E. Brown, E-mail: brownbe{at}mail.nih.gov


  Abstract

Background The presence of Human Herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) DNA is predictive of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) among patients with HIV-associated or iatrogenic immunosuppression. However, correlates of HHV8-DNA detection in the general population remain undefined.

Methods We assessed correlates of HHV8-DNA detection among Italian adults without KS who had antibodies against HHV8-latent nuclear antigen by immunofluorescence assay. HHV8-K6 DNA sequences were detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using TaqMan PCR.

Results Of the 158 subjects 26 (16.5%) had detectable HHV8-DNA [median copies/million cells, 53; (13-2128)]. Adjusted for age, sex, and laboratory, HHV8-DNA was detected more frequently in participants with >7 total residents in the childhood home [OR = 3.7 (1.5-9.1)], >2 younger siblings [OR = 2.6 (1.1-6.5)], and current cardiovascular [OR = 3.6 (1.3-9.7)] or renal [OR = 3.1 (1.2-8.0)] disease. Excluding the participants using immune modulating drugs, HHV8-DNA was more frequent among those with low red blood cells (RBC) [<4.5 106/µl; OR = 5.3 (1.7-16.2)], slightly elevated mean corpuscular volume [>92 µm3/red cell; OR = 2.8 (1.0-7.8)], and mild thrombocytopenia [<151 K/µl; OR = 5.6 (1.9-16.3)].

Conclusions Presence of HHV8-DNA in elderly Italians is associated with childhood crowding, low RBCs, and platelets, perhaps indicating roles for early infection and chronic inflammation. These risk factors are the first to be reported for nonimmunosuppressed HHV8-seropositive adults.

Keywords: HHV8; Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus; KSHV; viral DNA; viral load.
{dagger} Additional coauthors listed in the Appendix.
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