The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) in a group of 150 patients awaiting heart transplants and to detect HHV-8 seroconversion after transplantation. Four patients were HHV-8 seropositive before transplantation, and one of them developed Kaposi's sarcoma. One patient converted to seropositive HHV-8 status after transplantation.

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Similarly to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) is a γ-herpesvirus, recently recognized to be associated with the occurrence of rare B cell lymphomas and atypical lymphoproliferations, especially in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected subjects. Moreover, the human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6), a β-herpesvirus, has been shown to be implicated in some non-malignant lym...

We describe a human immunodeficiency virus-infected man with relapsing rashes and reactivation of human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection, which evolved into multicentric Castleman disease. Initial skin biopsy revealed infiltrating HHV-8-positive plasmablasts, a subset of which supported lytic infection. We document the first case, to our knowledge, of HHV-8-induced rash and suggest that circulat...

Herpesvirus infection of placenta may be harmful in pregnancy leading to disorders in fetal growth, premature delivery, miscarriage, or major congenital abnormalities. Although a correlation between human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection and abortion or low birth weight in children has been suggested, and rare cases of in utero or perinatal HHV-8 transmission have been documented, no direct evid...

Herpesvirus-like DNA sequences (KSHV/HHV-8) have recently been described in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) lesions. Many questions remain regarding the role of this virus in KS and the therapeutic implications of this finding. In the current study, KSHV/HHV-8 DNA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with KS (...

Castleman disease (CD) is a lymphoproliferative disorder of unknown etiology that is associated with the development of secondary tumors, including B-cell lymphoma. Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) (Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus) sequences have been described in some cases of multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). Using a monoclonal antibody against an HHV-8-latent nuclear antigen, we show ...

KSHV (Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus), or HHV-8 (human herpesvirus 8), is associated with the pathogenesis of KS, the most common AIDS-related malignancy. xCT (functional subunit of the cystine/glutamate transporter xc- system) is known as the HHV-8 fusion-entry receptor as well as an oncogenic protein. How the xCT triggers the signal transduction of HHV-8 infection and the cell prolif...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune disorder that has an etiology impacted by genetic and exogenous factors. Viral infections, in particular herpesvirus infections, have been identified as possible PV triggers which in addition cause serious complications in these patients. This study investigates the frequency of herpesvirus infections in patients with PV lesions. METHOD...

BACKGROUND Kaposi sarcoma (KS) occurs mainly in immunocompromised patients and is strongly associated with infection with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8; also known as "KS-associated herpesvirus"). We hypothesized that KS is linked to deficiencies in specific anti-HHV-8 T cell immunity. METHODS We studied asymptomatic HHV-8 carriers coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; n = 23) and p...