Antibodies against human herpesvirus 8 in subjects with non-venereal dermatological conditions

Background Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) is considered as the infectious cofac tor involved in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Its seroprevalen ce and modes of transmission in the general population are still undetermin ed. Objectives We aimed to estimate the prevalence of HHV8 infection in a popul ation at low risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Methods We conducted a seroepidemiological survey on randomly selected indi viduals attending the dermatology department of a teaching hospital in Rome . Of 257 patients, 248 had their brood analysed for anti-HHV8 antibodies an d 201 completed a standardized interview Serological analysis was performed by an immunofluorescence assay able to detect antilytic antibodies. Results We found an ooverall seropreoalence of 15 . 7% (95% confidence inte rval, CI 11 . 4-20 . 9%), similar in men and women (15 . 1% vs. 16 . 3%) an d higher at older ages. Seropositivity was not related to sexual habits, wh ile it was significantly associated with a history of hepatitis (seropreval ence 34 . 6%, adjusted odds ratio, OR 4 . 08, 95% CI 1 . 52-11 . 00) and wi th a diagnosis of non-melanoma skin cancer (42 . 9%, OR 4 . 20, 95% CI 1 . 26-14 . 02) or atypical naevi (35 . 3%, OR 6 . 21, 95% CI 1 . 85-20 . 86). Conclusions Our data suggest that a non-sexual mode of transmission of HHV8 infection is plausible in an Italian population at low risk for sexually t ransmitted diseases and that other factors, besides differences in prevalen ce of HHV8 infection, may be involved in the epidemiology of classical KS. The unexpectedly high seropositivity rates in subjects with non-melanoma sk in cancer and atypical naevi should be viewed with caution and require conf irmation.