KSHV DNA viraemia correlates with low CD4+ cell counts in Italian males at the time of diagnosis of HIV infection

Saverio Giuseppe Parisi (1) , Caterina Boldrin (1) , Samantha Andreis (1) , Roberto Ferretto (2) , Rodolfo Fuser (3) , Marina Malena (4) , Vinicio Manfrin (5) , Sandro Panese (6) , Renzo Scaggiante (7) , Luca Dori (8) , Loredana Sarmati (8) , Maria Angela Biasolo (1) , Emanuele Nicastri (9) , Massimo Andreoni (10) , Mario Cruciani (11) , Giorgio Palů (12)

1 Department of Histology, Microbiology and Medical Biotechnology
2 Infectious Diseases Unit
3 Infectious Diseases Unit
4 Center of Preventive Medicine
5 Infectious Diseases Unit
6 Infectious Diseases Unit
7 Infectious Diseases Unit
8 Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata [Roma] = University of Rome Tor Vergata
9 Infectious Diseases Unit
10 Infectious Diseases Department
11 ULSS 20 Verona, Center of Preventive Medicine
12 Department of Histology, Microbiology and Medical Biotechnologies

To evaluate the relevance, virological and immunological markers of Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus 8 (KSHV) viraemia in Italian male patients at the time of diagnosis of infection with HIV-1, 481 men infected with HIV were recruited consecutively. The presence of KSHV DNA was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in plasma and correlated with demographic and viro-immunological parameters. Seventy-four patients had KSHV DNA detected in PBMCs. By univariate analysis, the presence of KSHV DNA was associated significantly with unprotected homosexual relationships (p=0.003) and it was significantly higher in patients with CD4+ cell <350 (p=0.025). By multivariate analysis, homosexual relationships were associated independently with KSHVDNA in PBMCs (OR: 3.25; 95% CI: 1.1-9.7; p=0.035). Among the 74 patients with KSHVDNA detected in PBMCs, plasma samples from 60 were analysed and 33 were positive for KSHV DNA. The CD4+ cell counts and percentages were significantly lower in patients with KSHV DNA in both PBMCs and plasma as compared to patients with only KSHV DNA in PBMCs (p=0.006 and p=0.019, respectively). Among the patients with KSHV DNA detected in PBMCs, all 13 patients with CD4+ cells count <200 had detectable levels of KSHV in their plasma. By multivariate analysis adjusted for the epidemiologic and virological parameters, low CD4+ cell count was the only independent variable associated with the presence of KSHV DNA in plasma (OR, 0.001; 95% CI, <0.001-0.001; p=0.03). In HIV-positive antiretroviral therapy-naïve males, KSHV active replication as detected by KSHV DNA in plasma was associated significantly with low CD4+ cell count.

Mots clés: Medicine

Saverio Giuseppe Parisi, Caterina Boldrin, Samantha Andreis, Roberto Ferretto, Rodolfo Fuser, et al.. KSHV DNA viraemia correlates with low CD4+ cell counts in Italian males at the time of diagnosis of HIV infection. Journal of Medical Virology, 2011, 83 (3), pp.384. ⟨10.1002/jmv.21987⟩. ⟨hal-00613772⟩