Abstract
BackgroundHuman herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) is the etiologic agent associated with development of classical, AIDS-related, iatrogenic, and endemic Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Several studies provide strong evidence that HHV-8 can be transmitted by blood transfusion. We evaluated the seroprevalence and potential risk factors of HHV-8 infection in blood donors in one region. We surveyed HHV-8 infection among 4461 blood donors in Xinjiang, China, a unique endemic area for HHV-8 and KS.ResultsThe HHV-8 seroprevalence was higher in local minority groups which comprise most KS cases in China, than in Han people. HHV-8 prevalence was 18.6% in the Han ethnic group, 25.9% in Uygur subjects, 29.2% in Kazak subjects, 36.8% in Mongolian subjects, and 21.9% in other ethnic groups. In several subgroups, the time of donation of whole blood seemed to be a risk factor. In HHV-8-seropositive subjects, a larger fraction of local minorities (23.9%) had high HHV-8 titers than that of Han subjects (9.2%). HHV-8 infection was associated with ethnicity and residence.ConclusionHHV-8 seroprevalence was significantly high among blood donors in Xinjiang, where the prevalence of KS correlates with HHV-8 prevalence and titers in Uygur and Kazak ethnic groups. Blood exposure represented by the frequency of blood donation indicated a possible blood-borne transmission route of HHV-8 in Xinjiang. Detecting anti-HHV-8 antibodies before donation in this region is therefore important.
Highlights
Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) is the etiologic agent associated with the development of classical, AIDSrelated, iatrogenic, and endemic Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) [1,2]
We noted that HHV-8 seroprevalence was relatively high in the Han ethnic group living in Xinjiang: 18.6% of blood donors were HHV-8 positive
HHV-8 seroprevalence was significantly high in blood donors from Xinjiang
Summary
Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) is the etiologic agent associated with development of classical, AIDSrelated, iatrogenic, and endemic Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). Several studies provide strong evidence that HHV-8 can be transmitted by blood transfusion. We evaluated the seroprevalence and potential risk factors of HHV-8 infection in blood donors in one region. We surveyed HHV-8 infection among 4461 blood donors in Xinjiang, China, a unique endemic area for HHV-8 and KS. Emerging evidence suggests that HHV-8 may be transmitted through sexual contact [5,6], saliva [7], and blood transfusion [8,9,10]. HHV-8 seroprevalence among blood donors varies between different regions. In the inland areas of China, HHV-8 seroprevalence in general population was
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