Human Herpesvirus Type 8 DNA Sequences in Cell-Free Plasma and Mononuclear Cells of Kaposi's Sarcoma Patients

Authors

• William J. Harrington, University of Miami
• Omar Bagasra, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
• Carlos E. Sosa, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Lisa E. Bobroski, Thomas Jefferson University
• Marianna Baum, University of Miami
• Xue Lan Wen, University of Miami
• Lisa Cabral, University of Miami
• Gerald E. Byrne, University of Miami
• Roger J. Pomerantz, Thomas Jefferson University
• Charles Wood, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

11-1996

Comments

Published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases (November 1996), v. 174: 1,101-1,105. Copyright 1996, the University of Chicago. Used by permission.

Abstract

Human herpesvirus (HHV) type 8 bas been detected in both classical and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, body-cavity lymphomas, and other types of tumors. HHV-8 has also been detected in DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of some Kaposi's sarcoma patients and more readily in B cell fractions derived from panned cell subpopulations. Two patients were followed using several methods: in situ hybridization, solution-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and in situ PCR. HHV-8 was intermittently detected in plasma and detection correlated with detection in PBMC. In situ PCR demonstrated HHV-8 sequences in both peripheral blood B lymphocytes and, to a lesser extent, T lymphocytes. HHV-8 may undergo periods of viremia while at other times it is undetectable and infects circulating B cells and some T cells.