Risk Factors for Human Herpesvirus 8 Infection in a Cohort of Drug Users in The Netherlands, 1985–1996

To elucidate the mode of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) transmission in a population of Amsterdam drug users, HHV-8 seroprevalence and seroincidence were determined in 1179 drug users in the Amsterdam Cohort Studies (1985-1996). Risk factors for HHV-8 infection were examined. Serum samples were screened with an enzyme immunoassay by using HHV-8 lytic capsid (open-reading frame [ORF] 65) and latent nuclear (ORF73) antigens; positive results were confirmed by Western blot and immunofluorescence assay. Seroprevalence (men, 3.4%; women, 1.4%) and seroincidence (men, 0.08; women, 0.05/100 person-years) were low in this study. Infections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV), but not HHV-8, were associated with injection drug use (IDU). Independent risk factors for HHV-8 seropositivity were homosexual contacts and Mediterranean nationality for men and sexual contact with bisexual men, absence of a steady partner, and unprotected commercial sex for women. Unlike HIV-1, HBV, or HCV infection, HHV-8 infection is uncommon in Amsterdam drug users, as is HHV-8 transmission through IDU.