KAPOSIS SARCOMA-ASSOCIATED HERPESVIRUS HUMAN-HERPESVIRUS-8 - A NEW VIRUS IN HUMAN PATHOLOGY

The discovery of a new human herpesvirus in Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) tiss ue of patients with AIDS has opened up new vistas in virology and onco logy. This herpesvirus was first descriptively named KS-associated her pesvirus (KSHV), but was recently renamed human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). KSBV/HHV8 DNA has been found in all forms of KS, suggesting that it mi ght be involved in the pathogenesis of KS. In addition, KSHV/HHV8 can be detected in both malignant and benign lymphoproliferative diseases, such as body cavity-based B-cell lymphomas and multicentric Castleman 's disease. KSHV/HV8 was also found in patients with angiosarcoma of t he face and angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia. Although only a limited portion of the virus has been sequenced, KSHV/HHV8 is equip ped with genes that could confer oncogenic potential. The virus can no w be cultured, providing the possibility for studies of viral replicat ion and the mode of transmission. The recently developed serologic ass ays for antiviral antibodies suggest that infection with KSHV/HHV8 is not ubiquitous because KSHV/HHV8 seropositivity is limited to a small proportion of the population.