Abstract:
Objectives: To evaluate human herpesvirus 8/Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus
(HHV-8/KSHV) viral load in diagnostic, (formalin fixed, paraffinised) biopsies and patient
serum during tumour progression of oral and cutaneous AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma
(AKS), and endemic Kaposi’s sarcoma (EKS) by a sensitive and specific quantitative real
time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay.
Study design: Eighty six biopsies of both AKS (oral and cutaneous AKS, 68) and EKS (cutaneous
EKS, 18) were evaluated by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The viral load in
human tumour tissue and serum of some individual patients were compared.
Results: Higher viral load as well as frequency of latency-associated nuclear antigen
(LANA)+ tumour spindle cells (SC) and number of LANA granules per SC was found in oral
AKS compared to cutaneous AKS. Although few cases were available, serum viral load
appeared to decrease compared to tumour tissue during KS progression.
Conclusions: The higher viral load in oral rather than cutaneous AKS is consistent with the
well recognised reservoir function of the oral mucosa. Decrease of serum HHV-8 load during
KS progression may indicate decreased virus release and/or increased virus clearance.
