Seroprevalence and detection of Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) among healthy blood donors residing in Qatar
BackgroundHuman herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is a critical causative agent behind Kaposi sarcoma (KS), an oncogenic disease with profound consequences in immunocompromised individuals. Studies suggested HHV-8 seroprevalence in healthy populations is uncommon, but comprehensive investigations within the Mid...
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2024
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2024.102590 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034124003241 http://hdl.handle.net/10576/64371 |
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| Summary: | BackgroundHuman herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is a critical causative agent behind Kaposi sarcoma (KS), an oncogenic disease with profound consequences in immunocompromised individuals. Studies suggested HHV-8 seroprevalence in healthy populations is uncommon, but comprehensive investigations within the Middle East region remain scarce. This study aimed to bridge this knowledge gap by meticulously assessing HHV-8 seroprevalence among healthy blood donors in Qatar, leveraging serological methodologies and PCR. MethodsWe used sera samples collected from 621 healthy blood donors (median age = 36 years, IQR 30–43) from different nationalities residing in Qatar, mainly from the MENA region and Southeast Asia. All sera samples were tested for total anti-HHV-8 IgG antibodies using ELISA. The presence of lytic HHV-8 antibodies was confirmed by an immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Further, HHV-8 DNA was tested and quantitated by qRT-PCR. ResultsELISA detected anti-HHV-8 IgG total antibodies in 6.9 % [43/621, 95 %CI 5.2–9.2] of the tested samples. Subsequent testing by IFA revealed that 14 % [6/43, 95 %CI 3.6–24.3] of these anti-HHV-8 IgG were classified as HHV-8 lytic antibodies. This suggests that 0.97 % [6/621, 95 %CI 0.2–1.7] of these donors had a recent or ongoing active infection and viral replication. Only one seronegative Qatari blood donor had detectable HHV-8 DNA in his blood. No significant difference was observed between HHV-8 seropositivity and the demographic characteristics of the donors. ConclusionOur study showed that HHV-8 prevalence in Qatar aligns closely with global reports. Moreover, our findings raise considerations regarding HHV-8’s potential transmission via transfusion, which suggests the value of routine HHV-8 screening, particularly for immunocompromised patients vulnerable to KS. |
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