KAPOSIS-SARCOMA ASSOCIATED HERPESVIRUS DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC-ACID SEQUENCES - LACK OF DETECTION IN PROSTATIC TISSUE OF HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-NEGATIVE IMMUNOCOMPETENT ADULTS

Purpose: A recent study argued that Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpes virus is ubiquitous, as reflected by the frequent detection of its deo xyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences in the prostatic tissue of healthy Italian men. Because these findings are discordant with serological da ta, our objective was to reassess the prevalence of this virus in pros tate tissue from immunocompetent men. Materials and Methods: Normal ti ssue samples from 45 human immunodeficiency virus-negative men undergo ing radical prostatectomy for prostate carcinoma were snap frozen. DNA was extracted from normal noncancerous tissue. DNA was confirmed to b e polymerase chain reaction amplifiable. Then, using multiple primer s ets, extracted prostatic DNA was blinded, polymerase chain reaction am plified and screened for Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus by Southern blot . Results: Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus DNA sequences were not detecte d in either the 45 prostatic DNA or in blinded internal negative contr ols, but they were consistently identified in all positive internal co ntrols. Conclusions: Since Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus was undetectab le in any of the prostatic samples despite high assay sensitivity, it is unlikely that the prostate serves as a reservoir for this virus in immunocompetent North American men. These findings also suggest that K aposi's sarcoma herpesvirus is not ubiquitous.