IDENTIFICATION OF 2 HOMOLOGS OF THE KAPOSIS-SARCOMA-ASSOCIATED HERPESVIRUS (HUMAN HERPESVIRUS-8) IN RETROPERITONEAL FIBROMATOSIS OF DIFFERENT MACAQUE SPECIES

Simian retroperitoneal fibromatosis (RF) is a vascular fibroproliferat ive neoplasm which has many morphological and histological similaritie s to human Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Like epidemic KS in AIDS patients, R F is highly associated with an immunodeficiency syndrome (simian acqui red immunodeficiency syndrome [SAIDS]) caused by a retrovirus infectio n, Recently, a new gammaherpesvirus, called Kaposi's sarcoma-associate d herpesvirus (KSHV) or human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), has been identifie d in KS tumors, suggesting that KS has a viral etiology, Our previous experimental transmission studies and epidemiological data suggest tha t RF also has an infectious etiology, In order to determine whether a similar virus is also associated with RF, we have assayed for the pres ence of an unknown herpesvirus using degenerate PCR primers targeting the highly conserved DNA polymerase genes of the herpesvirus family, H ere we provide DNA sequence evidence for two new herpesviruses closely related to KSHV from RF tissues of two macaque species, Macaca nemest rina and Macaca mulatta. Our data suggest that KSHV and the putative m acaque herpesviruses define a new group,within the subfamily Gammaherp esvirinae whose members are implicated in the pathogenesis of KS and I (S-like neoplasms in different primate species,