R. Santarelli et al., Direct correlation between human herpesvirus-8 seroprevalence and classic Kaposi's sarcoma incidence in northern Sardinia, J MED VIROL, 65(2), 2001, pp. 368-372
The human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) has been associated with the development of
Kaposi's sarcoma. A high incidence of classic Kaposi's sarcoma has been de
scribed in Sardinia, an island West of Italy's mainland. Different seroepid
emiological analyses have reported that prevalence of HHV-8 infection varie
s worldwide: a high HHV-8 seroprevalence has been shown in Italy. The prese
nt survey was carried out to evaluate the correlation between HHV-8 infecti
on and classic Kaposi's sarcoma incidence in northern Sardinia. Blood sampl
es were collected from 226 healthy donors born and resident in five differe
nt areas of North Sardinia. Seroprevalence to HHV-8 was determined searchin
g antibodies to viral lytic proteins by immunofluorescence in sera diluted
at 1:10. Classic Kaposi's sarcoma incidence data spanning a period of 23 ye
ars were examined in the areas studied. The present screening revealed that
seroprevalence was 35%, within a range of 15.346.3% in the five areas, alt
hough it should be considered that the seroprevalence to HHV-8 can be estab
lished more accurately by the combined use of different assays. Age emerged
as an important risk factor. Indeed, subjects aged > 50 years showed a hig
her seroprevalence to HHV-8 as compared with younger individuals. A strong
direct correlation between HHV-8 prevalence and classic Kaposi's sarcoma in
cidence has been also observed. The wide diffusion of HHV-8 in Sardinia app
ears to represent an important factor in the high incidence of classic Kapo
si's sarcoma reported in the island. However, additional co-factors, such a
s age, sex, genetic traits, or viral strain pathogenicity, are likely to pl
ay a role in the development of the disease. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.