Evaluation of the human herpesvirus 8 DNA load in blood and Kaposi's sarcoma skin lesions from AIDS - Patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy

Objectives: To evaluate the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) DNA load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) skin lesions of subjects with AIDS and to correlate these measures with the tumour load. Design: Assessment of the HHV-8 DNA load was performed every 3 months in PBMC and every 6 months in KS skin lesions from seven subjects with AIDS who were receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Methods: The HHV-8 DNA load was determined by a quantitative-competitive PCR using 0.2 mu g of DNA from PBMC or KS skin biopsies. Staging of KS was performed by evaluating the number and type of cutaneous KS lesions. Results: The three subjects with the most extensive and active (nodular) KS had the highest amounts of HHV-8 DNA in KS skin lesions and the lowest CD4 T cell counts (< 200 X 10(6)/l). In contrast, the four other subjects with regressing KS while on HAART had a low viral load in their KS lesions. All but one subject who also had multicentric Castleman's disease had low amounts of HHV-8 DNA in PBMC. Conclusion: There is a strong relationship between the tumour burden and the HHV-8 viral load in KS skin lesions of subjects with AIDS, reinforcing the causal link between this herpesvirus and AIDS-related KS. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.