DETECTION OF HERPESVIRUS-LIKE DNA IN THE BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE FLUIDOF PATIENTS WITH PULMONARY KAPOSIS-SARCOMA

Pulmonary involvement is a clinically important form of visceral Kapos i's sarcoma in immunocompromised patients, Recently, herpesvirus-like deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences, defining a new herpesvirus term ed ''human herpesvirus 8'' (HHV8) or ''Kaposi's sarcoma-associated her pesvirus'' (KSHV), were detected in Kaposi's sarcoma of acquired immun e deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and non-AIDS patients, We describe the su ccessful detection of HHV8 DNA in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) flu id of patients with pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma. Three immunocompromise d patients, two HIV seropositive and one after kidney transplantation, suffered from respiratory symptoms and showed pulmonary infiltrates o n chest radiography after development of biopsy proven Kaposi's sarcom a of the skin. Bronchoscopy revealed the typical Kaposi like livid end obronchial lesions, BAL fluid was analysed for the presence of HHV8 DN A using a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. HHV8 DNA was d etected in the BAL fluid of all three patients, In addition, HHV8 DNA could be detected in the skin biopsy tissue, lymph node, and periphera l blood mononuclear cells of these patients. Our data show that human herpesvirus 8 deoxyribonucleic acid can be detected in the bronchoalve olar lavage fluid of patients with pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma, If furt her studies reveal a high specificity for human herpesvirus 8 deoxyrib onucleic acid detection, this test will improve the tools for the diag nosis of pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma without further need of biopsies.