CASE REPORTS
The descriptive and molecular epidemiology of HHV-8 among population groups of the Amazon region of Brazil
R. Ishak; R.N. Martins; L.F.A. Machado; A.C.R. Vallinoto; L. Lobato; T. Sata; M.O.G. Ishak
The present study aimed to describe the epidemiology of HHV-8 among population groups of the Amazon region of Brazil. Four Indian tribes (Kararao, Arara Laranjal, Tiriyo and Zo'e) and a group of HIV-1 infected and/or with AIDS from the urban population of Belém, Para, were tested for the presence of the virus, using serologic (enzyme immuno assay, ELISA, measuring antibodies to ORF59, early and late protein, lytic cycle, ORF65, late protein of the capsid, lytic cycle, K8.1A and K8.1B, variant forms of the envelope gp, lytic cycle and ORF73, latency maintenance protein) and molecular (gene amplification of the ORF26 and the variable region of VR1, gene K1 segments). The presence of antibodies to HHV-8 was detected in 66 samples of the 221 tested of the Indian groups, namely, six (25%) in the Kararao, 18 (19.6%) in the Arara Laranjal, 24 (42.9%) in the Tiriyo and 18 (36.7%) in the Zo'e. Out of the 477 HIV-1 group, 74 (15.5%) were seroreactive to HHV-8. The ORF26 region was amplified in seven samples, one of the Arara Laranjal, one of the Tiriyo, two of the Zo'e and three of the HIV-1 infected group. Subtyping procedures showed the presence of subtypes C (Zo'e), E (Tiriyo) and B (HIV-1 infected). Serologic results confirm the high prevalence of HHV-8 and the presence of three subtypes in the Amazon region of Brazil. It also describes, for the first time, the prevalence of HHV-8 among HIV-1 infected and/or AIDS patients.
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
06 Jan 2006 -
Date of issue
Oct 2005
