HUMAN HERPESVIRUS TYPE-8 DNA-SEQUENCES IN CELL-FREE PLASMA AND MONONUCLEAR-CELLS OF KAPOSIS-SARCOMA PATIENTS

Human herpesvirus (HHV) type 8 has been detected in both classical and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, body-cavity lymphomas, and other types of tumors, HHV-8 has also been detected in DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of some Kaposi's sarcoma patients and more re adily in B cell fractions derived from panned cell subpopulations, Two patients were followed using several methods: in situ hybridization, solution-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and in situ PCR, HHV-8 was intermittently detected in plasma, and detection correlated with detection in PBMC. In situ PCR demonstrated HHV-8 sequences in bosh pe ripheral blood B lymphocytes and, to a lesser extent, T lymphocytes. H HV-8 may undergo periods of viremia while at other times it is undetec table and infects circulating B cells and some T cells.