THE 8TH HUMAN-HERPESVIRUS

A new human herpesvirus: initially discovered by molecular biology tec hniques in Kaposi's sarcoma, the existence of a new herpesvirus has be en isolated in cell cultures. Oncogenicity: It is already known that t his new virus is associated with three diseases: Kaposi's disease, B-c ell serous lymphoma, Castleman's disease. Epidemiology: There are argu ments favoring sexual transmission and endemic areas in Africa. The di stribution is currently very limited in the general Western population . A novel virus: This lymphotropic virus is associated with tumoral pr ocesses oi unknown origin, has a relatively restricted distribution in the human population and is at least partially sexually transmitted. The great genetic similarity with the Epstein-Barr virus suggests it m ight have a wider pathogenicity than currently recognized.