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Human herpesvirus type 8 infections among solid organ transplant recipients
Author(s) -
Allen Upton D.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
pediatric transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.457
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1399-3046
pISSN - 1397-3142
DOI - 10.1034/j.1399-3046.2002.02006.x
Subject(s) - medicine , primary effusion lymphoma , solid organ , lymphoma , bone marrow transplant , disease , sarcoma , human herpesvirus 6 , organ transplantation , epidemiology , immunology , virus , transplantation , herpesviridae , viral disease , dermatology , bone marrow transplantation , pathology , bone marrow
Human herpes virus 8 (HHV‐8) is known to be associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and a form of Castleman's disease. Recently, it has also been shown to be associated with acute bone marrow failure in transplant patients. While, the full spectrum of clinical manifestations due to HHV‐8 is yet to be defined in transplant recipients, it is known to cause post‐transplant KS as a result of primary as well as secondary infection. This review will discuss the possible role of HHV‐8 as a cause of disease in solid organ transplant recipients by focussing on important issues, including the biology of the virus, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory diagnosis and treatment, followed by a discussion of issues of relevance to the pediatric transplant recipient.