Human herpesvirus-8 infection in hemodialysis patients from São Paulo, Brazil: preliminary results.

Epidemiological studies conducted in endemic areas of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection have shown iatrogenic Kaposi's sarcoma in renal transplant recipients. Hemodialysis has not yet been demonstrated to be a route of virus transmission/acquisition, although recently blood transfusion has been suggested as a vehicle of HHV-8 transmission. The present study searching HHV-8 antibodies among serum samples from 70 hemodialysis patients disclosed a high prevalence of infection (22.9%). There was an association between HHV-8 seroreactivity and previous transfusions and transplantation, as well as with a black/pardum ethnic background of patients. These results emphasized that chronic renal patients are at risk of developing HHV-8-related diseases.