Seroprevalence of human herpes virus 8 antibody in populations at high or low risk of transfusion, graft, or sexual transmission of viruses

BACKGROUND: The routes of transmission of human herpes virus 8 (HHV‐8) remain unclear. In particular, HHV‐8 transmission by blood components and organ transplantation is still debated and raises public health issues. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of anti‐HHV‐8 in selected populations of persons or patients with or without risk factors for the transmission of viral infections, in order to determine the routes of HHV‐8 transmission. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 1431 persons or patients at low or high risk of sexually, blood‐, or graft‐transmitted viral infections were tested by means of a standardized immunofluorescence serologic assay detecting anti‐HHV‐8. RESULTS: The persons or patients could be classified into three distinct groups according to anti‐HHV‐8 prevalence: a low prevalence group (0.0% to 5.0%), including healthy blood donors, healthy pregnant women, multiply transfused patients with thalassemia major, and IV drug users; an intermediate prevalence group (5.0% to 20.0%), including organ donors, kidney transplant recipients, and multiply transfused patients with sickle cell disease; a high prevalence group (>20.0%), including HIV‐negative persons at high risk of sexually‐transmitted viral infections, and HIV‐infected homosexual men and heterosexuals. CONCLUSION: The sexual route appears to be the main route of HHV‐8 transmission; bloodborne transmission of HHV‐8, if it exists, is rare. In contrast, organ transplantation recipients might be exposed to HHV‐8 transmission by the transplanted organ, which raises the issue of systematic screening of organ donors.