Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
THE ROLE OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTION IN KAPOSI'S SARCOMA
AIDS. The Epidemic of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections. Friedman-Kien AE, Laubenstein LJ, eds. New York, Masson, p. 111-26, 1984.. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/85610696 Huang ES; Dept. of Medicine, Cancer Res. Center, Univ. of North Carolina at; Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Abstract:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection occurs at an extremely high frequency among Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients (pts) and has been hypothesized to be a cause or a result of the disease. Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) also frequently occurs in AIDS pts; the present article deals with the possibility that CMV is the etiologic agent of KS. Human CMV is a ubiquitous virus with strong species specificity but broad cellular tropism. Long-term latent or persistent infections with subsequent reactivation occur. Oncogenetic potential has been suggested by in vitro transformation studies. In a study of tumor biopsies from 10 cases of classic KS (a form of KS characterized by multicentric, violaceous tumor masses over the skin, and sometimes in the viscera, of, predominantly, elderly white males), nuclear CMV antigen was detected in 80% of specimens, while neither herpes simplex II nor Epstein-Barr virus were detected. Restriction enzyme analysis has demonstrated CMV-like isolates in a KS cell line. CMV is the most common infectious agent associated with organ transplantation and is extremely common in homosexual men, particularly in those with KS. CMV is capable of stimulating host macromolecule synthesis, of transforming mammalian cells in vitro, and of transforming human embryonic lung cells in vitro. CMV is associated with immune suppression in heterophile-negative mononucleosis, and reversal of the helper:suppressor ratio has been reported. However, results of DNA restriction fragmentation argue against the association of AIDS or KS with a specific CMV strain. The author concludes that CMV is strongly associated with AIDS and KS and cannot be excluded as a cause of these diseases. (64 Refs)
Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*COMPLICATIONS/IMMUNOLOGY Animal Antibodies, Viral/ANALYSIS Cell Transformation, Neoplastic Cell Transformation, Viral Cells, Cultured Cytomegalovirus/GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY *Cytomegalovirus Infections DNA/BIOSYNTHESIS DNA, Viral/ANALYSIS Hamsters Herpesviridae Infections/METABOLISM Human Sarcoma, Kaposi's/*ETIOLOGY/IMMUNOLOGY/MICROBIOLOGY T-Lymphocytes/CLASSIFICATION/IMMUNOLOGY Transfection MEETING PAPER REVIEW
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Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
