Abstract 5487: Investigating human herpesvirus 8 infection among adults in Uganda: A factor analysis approach

Abstract

Abstract Objective: Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) is highly prevalent in Uganda, and it is a necessary agent for Kaposi Sarcoma (KS). During the AIDS era, KS became epidemic. There is some evidence but limited information on sexual transmission, and prevalence varies by age, sex and region. However, current knowledge about HHV8 is based on selected populations including hospital-based samples and high-risk cohort groups, which may be biased. Methods: We analyzed a subset of the Uganda HIV/AIDS serobehavioral survey (UHSBS) 04/05 to estimate the association with risk factors and HHV8 seropositivity. HHV8 seropositivity was determined using HHV8 K8.1 and orf65 glycoproteins. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined and components were obtained by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results: Among 2,681 individuals tested, HHV8 seropositivity was 55.4% (95% CI, 53.0%-57.8%). Three components were identified by PCA: sexual behavioral, socioeconomic, and cultural components. In bivariate analysis, HHV8 seropositivity was positively associated with sexual behavioral (ORquartile2=1.39, ORquartile3=1.37, ORquartile4=1.27, and Ptrend=0.1085) and cultural components (ORquartile2=1.29, ORquartile3=1.39, ORquartile4=1.59, and Ptrend=0.0024), but inversely associated with socioeconomic component (ORquartile2=0.77, ORquartile3=0.65, ORquartile4=0.59, and Ptrend<0.0001). Multivariable analysis showed that HHV8 seropositivity was strongly associated with the socioeconomic component but not the other when adjusted by age, sex and region (Ptrend=0.0137). Conclusions: HHV8 infection in Uganda adults was strongly associated with lower socioeconomic status with age, sex and region adjusted but weakly associated with sexual behavioral and cultural characteristics. Lower socioeconomic class can be an indicator of having less education, poorer nutrition, and worse sanitation, which might enhance HHV8 transmission. As socioeconomic status improves over time, HHV8 seroprevalence might decline in this population. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5487. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5487