Seroprevalence of human herpesvirus 8 infection in children born to HIV-1- infected women in São Paulo, Brazil

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Date
2005-02-01Author
Machado, Daisy Maria [UNIFESP]
Sumita, Laura Massami
Pannuti, Cláudio Sergio
Succi, Regina Célia de Menezes [UNIFESP]
De Moraes-Pinto, Maria Isabel [UNIFESP]
Souza, V.a.u.f.
Type
ArtigoISSN
0100-879XIs part of
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological ResearchDOI
10.1590/S0100-879X2005000200012Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) appears to be transmitted mainly by sexual contact. However, several studies suggest that in developing countries the infection may be acquired early in life by routes other than sexual transmission. The present study estimated the seroprevalence of HHV-8 in Brazilian children born to HIV-1-infected mothers. The serum samples were collected in a cross-sectional cohort study from 99 children born to HIV-infected mothers (median age 3.27 years; range 1.5-13.8 years) attending the outpatient clinic of the Federal University of São Paulo. IgG antibodies to HHV-8 latency-associated nuclear antigen and lytic phase antigens were detected by immunofluorescence assays. The samples tested were collected from children aged 12 months or older to exclude the possibility of cross-placental antibody transport. The total prevalence of anti-lytic antibodies in this population (5/99; 5%) reveals that HHV-8 infection can occur during childhood. Children aged 1.5 to 2 years had a seroprevalence of 2% (1/50) and children aged 3.25 to 13.8 years had a seroprevalence of 8% (4/49). This difference was not statistically significant, probably because of the small size of the sample, but it suggests that HHV-8 infection occurs more commonly late in infancy. Further prospective studies are necessary to evaluate the timing and risk factors for primary HHV-8 infection in the pediatric population.
Citation
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research. Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica, v. 38, n. 2, p. 237-240, 2005.Collections
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