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Direct correlation between human herpesvirus‐8 seroprevalence and classic Kaposi's sarcoma incidence in Northern Sardinia
Author(s) -
Santarelli Roberta,
De Marco Roberto,
Masala Maria Vittoria,
Angeloni Antonio,
Uccini Stefania,
Pacchiarotti Roberta,
Montesu Maria Antonietta,
Satta Rosanna,
Cerimele Decio,
Faggioni Alberto,
Cottoni Francesca
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.2043
Subject(s) - seroprevalence , incidence (geometry) , sarcoma , virology , kaposi's sarcoma , epidemiology , human herpesvirus , medicine , serology , virus , immunology , biology , antibody , pathology , physics , optics
The human herpesvirus‐8 (HHV‐8) has been associated with the development of Kaposi's sarcoma. A high incidence of classic Kaposi's sarcoma has been described in Sardinia, an island West of Italy's mainland. Different seroepidemiological analyses have reported that prevalence of HHV‐8 infection varies worldwide: a high HHV‐8 seroprevalence has been shown in Italy. The present survey was carried out to evaluate the correlation between HHV‐8 infection and classic Kaposi's sarcoma incidence in northern Sardinia. Blood samples were collected from 226 healthy donors born and resident in five different areas of North Sardinia. Seroprevalence to HHV‐8 was determined searching antibodies to viral lytic proteins by immunofluorescence in sera diluted at 1:10. Classic Kaposi's sarcoma incidence data spanning a period of 23 years were examined in the areas studied. The present screening revealed that seroprevalence was 35%, within a range of 15.3–46.3% in the five areas, although it should be considered that the seroprevalence to HHV‐8 can be established more accurately by the combined use of different assays. Age emerged as an important risk factor. Indeed, subjects aged > 50 years showed a higher seroprevalence to HHV‐8 as compared with younger individuals. A strong direct correlation between HHV‐8 prevalence and classic Kaposi's sarcoma incidence has been also observed. The wide diffusion of HHV‐8 in Sardinia appears to represent an important factor in the high incidence of classic Kaposi's sarcoma reported in the island. However, additional co‐factors, such as age, sex, genetic traits, or viral strain pathogenicity, are likely to play a role in the development of the disease. J. Med. Virol. 65:368–372, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.