Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology
Substantial regional differences in human herpesvirus 8 seroprevalence in sub-Saharan Africa: Insights on the origin of the "kaposi's sarcoma belt"
International Journal of Cancer, Volume 127, No. 10, Year 2010
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Equatorial Africa has among the highest incidences of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in the world, thus earning the name "KS Belt." This was the case even before the HIV epidemic. To date, there is no clear evidence that HHV-8 seroprevalence is higher in this region but interpretation of the available literature is tempered by differences in serologic assays used across studies. We examined representatively sampled ambulatory adults in Uganda, which is in the "KS Belt," and in Zimbabwe and South Africa which are outside the Belt, for HHV-8 antibodies. All serologic assays were uniformly performed in the same reference laboratory by the same personnel. In the base-case serologic algorithm, seropositivity was defined by reactivity in an immunofluorescence assay or in 2 enzyme immunoassays. A total of 2,375 participants were examined. In Uganda, HHV-8 seroprevalence was high early in adulthood (35.5% by age 21) without significant change thereafter. In contrast, HHV-8 seroprevalence early in adulthood was lower in Zimbabwe and South Africa (13.7 and 10.8%, respectively) but increased with age. After age adjustment, Ugandans had 3.24-fold greater odds of being HHV-8 infected than South Africans (p < 0.001) and 2.22-fold greater odds than Zimbabweans (p < 0.001). Inferences were unchanged using all other serologic algorithms evaluated. In conclusion, HHV-8 infection is substantially more common in Uganda than in Zimbabwe and South Africa. These findings help to explain the high KS incidence in the "KS Belt" and underscore the importance of a uniform approach to HHV-8 antibody testing. © 2010 UICC.
Authors & Co-Authors
Dollard, Sheila C.
United States, Atlanta
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Butler, Lisa M.
United States, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
Jones, Alison Graves
United States, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
Mermin, Jonathan H.
United States, Atlanta
National Center for Hiv, Viral Hepatitis, Std, and tb Prevention
Chidzonga, Midion Mapfumo
Zimbabwe, Harare
University of Zimbabwe
Chipato, Tsungai
Zimbabwe, Harare
University of Zimbabwe
Shiboski, Caroline H.
United States, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
Brander, Christian
United States, Boston
Massachusetts General Hospital
Spain, Barcelona
Institució Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats
Mosam, Anisa
Spain, Badalona
Hospital Universitari Germans Trias I Pujol
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Kiepiela, Photini
South Africa, Tygerberg
South African Medical Research Council
Hladik, Wolfgang
United States, Atlanta
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Martin, Jeffrey N.
United States, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
Statistics
Citations: 90
Authors: 12
Affiliations: 9
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1002/ijc.25235
ISSN:
00207136
e-ISSN:
10970215
Research Areas
Cancer
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cohort Study
Study Locations
South Africa
Uganda
Zimbabwe