Seroprevalence of human herpesvirus 8 infection in individuals from health care centers in Mozambique: potential for endemic and epidemic Kaposi's sarcoma.

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection is common in sub-Saharan Africa, but its prevalence in Mozambique is unknown. The seroprevalence of HHV-8 in a cohort of individuals seen at public health centers in Northern (n = 208), Central (n = 226), or Southern (n = 318) Mozambique was examined. All individuals were interviewed to obtain socioeconomic, demographic and clinical data and were tested for serum anti-HHV-8 antibodies using an immunofluorescence assay.

First survey for detecting the presence of human herpesvirus 8 infection (HHV-8) in Maputo, Mozambique.

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), the etiological agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), is endemic in parts of the sub-Saharan, and KS has increased concomitantly with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In Mozambique (MZ), no data concerning HHV-8 infection was available, thus the main of this work was to investigate, for the first time, the presence of HHV-8 infection in Maputo, MZ. Latent and lytic HHV-8-specific antibodies were assessed in blood samples from 189 individuals from the Central Hospital of Maputo, MZ, using 'in-house' immunofluorescence assays conducted in São Paulo, Brazil.

Comparison of signal-to-cutoff values in first, second, and third generation enzyme immunoassays for the diagnosis of HTLV-1/2 infection in "at-risk" individuals from São Paulo, Brazil.

Data obtained during routine diagnosis of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and 2 (HTLV-2) in "at-risk" individuals from São Paulo, Brazil using signal-to-cutoff (S/C) values obtained by first, second, and third generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kits, were compared. The highest S/C values were obtained with third generation EIA kits, but no correlation was detected between these values and specific antibody reactivity to HTLV-1, HTLV-2, or untyped HTLV (p=0.302).

A comparative study of the frequency of antibody and titers against human herpesvirus 8 latent and lytic antigens in "at-risk" individuals and among patients with Kaposi's sarcoma.

Differences in the prevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) have been described, depending on the study population and their geographic origin. A cross- sectional study aimed at detecting the frequency and titers of antibodies against HHV-8 latent and lytic antigens in serum samples from individuals with different risk-factors for HHV-8 infection, as well as predictive marker identification in patients with KS, was conducted. Serum samples were collected from seven groups of individuals: 75 patients with AIDS-KS, 5 with classic KS, 16 with African KS, 495 with HIV/AIDS, 805 patients with chronic kidney disease, 683 handicapped individuals, and 757 health care workers.

Confirming the presence of HTLV-1 infection and the absence of HTLV-2 in blood donors from Arequipa, Peru.

Epidemiological studies conducted in Peru disclosed HTLV-1 to be prevalent in different ethnic groups, and found HTLV-2 in some Amazonian Indians and in men who have sex with men. No data concerning HTLV-1/2 infection in blood donors from Arequipa, a highlands region in southern Peru, is available. We searched for the presence of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 antibodies in 2,732 serum samples obtained from blood donors from this geographic area.

Serological patterns and temporal trends of HTLV-1/2 infection in high-risk populations attending Public Health Units in São Paulo, Brazil.

Background: HTLV-1/2 diagnosis in high-risk populations from São Paulo, Brazil has been problematic due a high proportion of seroindeterminate results.

Objectives: To confirm and extend previous findings regarding HTLV-1/2 diagnosis in this geographic area.

Study Design: Sera from 2312 patients were tested for HTLV-1/2 antibodies using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and Western blot (WB) analysis.

Performances of HTLV serological tests in diagnosing HTLV infection in high-risk population of São Paulo, Brazil.

Testing problems in diagnosing human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) infection, mostly HTLV-II, have been documented in HIV/AIDS patients. Since December 1998, the Immunology Department of Instituto Adolfo Lutz (IAL) offers HTLV-I/II serology to Public Health Units that attend HTLV high-risk individuals. Two thousand, three hundred and twelve serum samples: 1,393 from AIDS Reference Centers (Group I), and 919 from HTLV out-patient clinics (Group II) were sent to IAL for HTLV-I/II antibodies detection.

Latent human herpesvirus - 8 (HHV-8) infection in female commercial sex workers from Imbituba, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection was identified in 6 out of 90 (6.7%) female commercial sex workers from Imbituba, Santa Catarina, and was associated to age. Frequencies of 5.

Seroprevalence of HHV-8 infection in the pediatric population of two university hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Background: The authors present a serologic survey of the prevalence of herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) among 171 children from 0 to 12 years old in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Materials And Methods: Sera were tested for latent nuclear and lytic antigens using indirect immunofluorescence and Western blotting.

Results: Serology for HHV-8 was positive in 16 of 171 patients (9.

Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) antibodies in women from São Paulo, Brazil. Association with behavioral factors and Kaposi's sarcoma.

Background: With the spread of AIDS, many HIV-infected women have been diagnosed with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), especially in Africa. Since the discovery of a novel herpesvirus as the causative agent of KS (human herpesvirus 8 - HHV-8) several seroepidemiological studies have been conducted to identify groups at risk for KS. The risk for women in Brazil has not been studied.