PCR ASSAY FAILS TO DETECT MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM VIRUS-RELATED SEQUENCES IN AIDS-RELATED KAPOSIS-SARCOMA

Previous PCR-based studies have demonstrated the presence of various v iral DNA or RNA sequences in Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) tissues. To date, o nly human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) DNA sequences are found consistently i n KS. The putative role of this agent in KS pathogenesis remains, howe ver, to be determined; HHV-8 could infect populations endemically and could be reactivated in patients with KS. A close association between AIDS-related KS and molluscum contagiosum occurrence was found and thi s study was conducted primarily to search for the presence of molluscu m contagiosum virus DNA sequences in KS. Frozen KS samples were examin ed for the presence of both HHV-8 and molluscum contagiosum virus DNA sequences by PCR. Despite a high rate of co-infection, no molluscum co ntagiosum virus (MCV) DNA sequence could be found in the KS samples wh ereas HHV-8 was uniformly detected. These results suggest that the hig h prevalence of MCV in AIDS patients with KS relies on a mode of trans mission common for HHV-8 and molluscum contagiosum virus rather than o n a multiviral etiology of KS. They may also indicate a particular sus ceptibility of the host to viral reactivation. If this is so, the fail ure to detect MCV DNA sequences in KS tissues by PCR indicates that lo cally produced or released cyotokines are not involved in the latter p rocess. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.