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Seroprevalence of human herpesvirus 8 among injection drug users in San Francisco

  1. Author:
    Atkinson, J.
    Edlin, B. R.
    Engels, E. A.
    Kral, A. H.
    Seal, K.
    Gamache, C. J.
    Whitby, D.
    O'Brien, T. R.

  2. Author Address

    NCI, Viral Epidemiol Branch, Div Canc Epidemiol & Genet, NIH, 6120 Execut Blvd,Rm 8016,MSC 7248, Rockville, MD 20852 USA NCI, Viral Epidemiol Branch, Div Canc Epidemiol & Genet, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852 USA Sci Applicat Int Corp, Viral Epidemiol Sect, Frederick, MD USA Univ Calif San Francisco, Urban Hlth Study, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA O'Brien TR NCI, Viral Epidemiol Branch, Div Canc Epidemiol & Genet, NIH, 6120 Execut Blvd,Rm 8016,MSC 7248, Rockville, MD 20852 USA
    1. Year: 2003
  2. Journal: Journal of Infectious Diseases
    1. 187
    2. 6
    3. Pages: 974-981
  4. Type of Article: Article
  1. Abstract:

    The association between injection drug use and human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) was examined to investigate bloodborne transmission of the virus. In all, 1905 injection drug users (IDUs) enrolled in a cross-sectional study were tested for K8.1 antibodies to HHV-8 lytic antigen. Logistic regression was used to adjust for demographic and sexual behavior variables. HHV-8 seroprevalence was 10% among women, 10% among heterosexual men, and 23% among men who have sex with men. In adjusted analyses, HHV-8 seroprevalence increased with longer duration of injection drug use for each of these groups (P=.01, P=.03, and P=.049 for trend, respectively). HHV-8 infection is relatively common among IDUs in San Francisco, and longer duration of injection drug use is associated with an increase in the risk of HHV-8 infection that is not explained by sexual behavior or demographic differences. These results are consistent with the occurrence of bloodborne transmission of HHV-8 among IDUs.

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