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

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.