ABSTRACT
10 homosexual men with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) were studied for evidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. IgG and IgM antibodies to CMV were detected in 9 out of 9 and in 7 out of 9 of these patients, respectively. CMV was recovered from body secretions or peripheral blood of 7 patients. Viral cultures of KS tumour biopsy specimens were negative in 8 out of 8 patients, but CMV RNA was detected by in-situ hybridisation in 2 out of 3 and CMV antigen(s) by immunofluorescence in 6 out of 9. Normal tissue specimens from 3 KS patients were negative for CMV antigen. These observations suggest an association of CMV with KS.
Subject(s)
Cytomegalovirus Infections/complications , Cytomegalovirus/immunology , Homosexuality , Sarcoma, Kaposi/etiology , Adult , Animals , Antibodies, Viral/analysis , Cytomegalovirus/isolation & purification , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/analysis , Immunoglobulin M/analysis , Male , Middle Aged , RNA, Viral/analysis , Sarcoma, Kaposi/immunology , Tumor Virus Infections/immunologyABSTRACT
Recent reports indicate an increased incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma in young homosexual men. In contrast with the form of the disease seen in the elderly, in which skin involvement is usually confined to the lower extremities, lymph node involvement is rare, and disease progression is relatively slow, Kaposi's sarcoma in young homosexual men is characterized by diffuse skin and lymph node involvement and a fulminant disease course.
