Absence of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus DNA angiomatosis-peliosis lesions

Bartonella henselae and B. quintana induce an unusual vascular proliferativ e tissue response known as bacillary angiomatosis (BA) and bacillary pelios is (BP) in some human hosts. The mechanisms of Bartonella-associated vascul ar proliferation remain unclear. Although host factors probably play a role , microbial coinfection has not been ruled out. Because of the vascular pro liferative characteristics noted in both Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and BA and o ccasional colocalization of KS and BA, the possibility was explored that KS -associated herpesvirus (KSHV) might be associated with BA lesions. Tissues with BA and positive and negative control tissues were tested for the pres ence of KSHV DNA by a sensitive polymerase chain reaction assay. Only 1 of 10 BA tissues, a splenic biopsy, was positive in this assay; this tissue wa s from a patient with concomitant KS of the skin. Thus, KSHV is probably no t involved in the vascular proliferative response seen in BA-BP.