J Gen Virol. 2011 Apr;92(Pt 4):744-51. Epub 2011 Jan 7.

Intrafamiliar transmission of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and
seronegative infection in family members of classic Kaposi's sarcoma patients.

Mancuso R, Brambilla L, Agostini S, Biffi R, Hernis A, Guerini FR, Agliardi C,
Tourlaki A, Bellinvia M, Clerici M.

Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotechnology, Don C. Gnocchi Foundation,
ONLUS, IRCCS, Milan, Italy. rmancuso@dongnocchi.it

The link between Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV or human
herpesvirus 8) and Kaposi's sarcoma has been proven, but the transmission routes,
especially in the heterosexual population, are not yet completely understood. To
assess the intrafamilial patterns of transmission among first-degree relatives of
Italian classic Kaposi's sarcoma (cKS) patients, KSHV seroprevalence and the
presence of viral DNA in blood and saliva were evaluated in 18 families (32 cKS
patients and 35 family members), comparing the results with those obtained in 200
elderly healthy controls without known exposure to KSHV. The KSHV genotype of
variable region VR1 of the hypervariable ORF K1 gene was subsequently analysed in
all KSHV-positive samples. The results showed that KSHV infection was
significantly higher in relatives of cKS patients (11/35 cases) than in healthy
controls (17/200 cases; P=0.001). The 11 infected relatives included spouses
(n=3), siblings (n=2) and offspring (n=6) of the cKS patients; the same KSHV
genotype was shared within the same family in the majority of cases (85%),
indicating the presence of person-to-person transmission within families. Viral
DNA was mostly observed in the saliva of infected relatives (45.4%); detection of
DNA in blood was less frequent (27.3%). Notably, KSHV DNA was present in saliva
and/or blood of three KSHV-infected relatives with indeterminate or negative
serostatus. Thus, the risk of KSHV infection is greatly enhanced within families
of cKS patients, where close contacts (horizontal and/or sexual) can contribute
to the spread of KSHV.

PMID: 21216985 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]