Prevalence of human herpesvirus 8 DNA sequences in human immunodeficiency virus-negative individuals without Kaposi's sarcoma in Greece.

BACKGROUND It has already been established that the prevalence of human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) in the general population varies among different geographical areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HHV8 infection in the Greek population. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eight hundred blood samples were collected consecutively from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative individuals without evidence of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). All individuals were Greeks and were classified according to gender, age and geographic origin. HHV8 DNA sequences were detected by nested-PCR. RESULTS An overall HHV8 positivity rate of 9.6% was found. Analysis of the KS330 region within ORF-26 revealed that the HHV8 strains were distributed to the C1, C3 or A1 subtypes. Logistic regression showed no association between HHV8 presence and geographic regions in Greece. The results indicate that very few individuals (4.3%) were exposed to HHV8 before 15 years of age. The infection rate peaked (16.4%) between the ages of 31 and 40. Females and males showed similar prevalence of HHV8. CONCLUSION The data suggest that HHV8 is spread in Greece, but to a lesser extent than that observed in other Mediterranean countries. The fact that HHV8 was also found in individuals under 15 years of age indicates that a small percent of HHV8 transmission could occur through non-sexual contacts.