Human herpesvirus 8 infections

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) or Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus is a recently identified virus that is associated with KS, multicentric Castleman’s disease, and body cavity-based lymphomas. KS is the most common kind of cancer in AIDS patients and the initial AIDS-defining condition in over 20% of patients. HHV-8 DNA has now been detected in over 95% of KS tissue samples supporting the concept that HHV-8 has a causal role in KS. The discovery has opened new avenues for understanding the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of KS and related conditions.