New viral footprints in Kaposi's sarcoma
Article Abstract:
A newly-discovered herpes virus appears to be involved in Kaposi's sarcoma and certain AIDS-related lymphomas. Kaposi's sarcoma is a skin tumor that occurs in HIV-positive and HIV-negative people. The herpes virus was recently discovered in skin samples from Kaposi's sarcoma patients and AIDS patients with body cavity lymphomas. A variation of the polymerase chain reaction allowed researchers to detect a small fragment of the virus in skin cells. The virus has been called human herpesvirus 8, or HHV-8, and appears to be related to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which causes infectious mononucleosis. EBV infects large numbers of people and remains in certain white blood cells called B lymphocytes, often without causing any symptoms. It is likely that HHV-8 follows a similar lifestyle. It is impossible to tell if HHV-8 causes Kaposi's sarcoma or is merely reactivated when the patient's immune system is impaired.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1995
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Monoclonal origin of multicentric Kaposi's sarcoma lesions
Article Abstract:
Kaposi's sarcoma appears to be caused by a mutation in a single cell that multiplies and spreads, causing lesions throughout the body. This was demonstrated by a study of 32 tumor samples from 8 HIV-infected women with Kaposi's sarcoma. In 28 samples, the same X chromosome was inactivated through methylation. This indicates that the tumors arose from a single cell because normally, one copy of the X chromosome would be inactivated in half the cells, and the other copy would be inactivated in the other half. Thus, the sarcoma lesions do not arise spontaneously at each site.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1997
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