The Frequency of HHV-8 Infection in Otherwise Healthy Blood Donors as Well as Renal Allograft Recipients Living in Iran

Background: Different reports from Middle East countries demonstrated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in transplant population. This vascular malignancy occurs mostly among immunocompromised individuals. Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) appears to be the causative factor for the development of this neoplasm. Transplant programs are concerned about the frequencies of HHV-8 infection either in general population or transplant patients. Methods: The current study was conducted in two phases. Firstly, we detected antibodies against HHV-8 in 790 otherwise healthy blood donors. Secondly, a total of 125 kidney allograft recipients evaluated as being seropositive for HHV-8. We utilized enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for serologic studies. Results: Among blood donors, the male to female ratio was 1.05 (405 vs. 385) while the mean age was 38.9 +/- 11.7 years. The serostatus of none of these blood donors were positive for HHV-8. Among kidney recipients, the male to female ratio was 1.9 (82 vs. 43). The mean age was 39.01 +/- 14.77 years. Two (1.6%) patients were seropositive for HHV-8. Conclusion: The prevalence of HHV-8 infection among Iranians is likely to be low. Yet, owing to the evidence of this infection among kidney allograft recipients and its probable role in developing post-transplantation KS (PT-KS), further studies appear to be required to keep the various aspects of this infection under close surveillance.