Propagation of a Human Herpesvirus from AIDS-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma

Kaposi's sarcoma was originally described in the late 1800s as a rare neoplasm predominantly affecting elderly men of Jewish or Mediterranean descent. Currently, Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common cancer in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), affecting approximately 20 percent of persons with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. 1 – 3 Epidemiologic data have suggested that an infectious agent could spread the disease through sexual contact, 4 but the etiologic agent has not been identified. Several viruses, including cytomegalovirus (CMV), hepatitis B virus, and human papillomavirus, have been found in patients with Kaposi's sarcoma. Recently, Chang et al. found . . .