Human herpesvirus 8 cellular immune responses in homosexual men

Little is known about cellular immunity to human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), the virus associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). T cell proliferative responses to purified HHV-8 were measured in homosexual men, a group with elevated HHV-8 seroprevalence and high risk of KS. None of 20 blood donor controls had T cell responses to HHV-8. Among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative homosexual men, 8 (42%) of 19 HHV-8 seropositive men responded as did 4 (16%) of 25 HHV-8 seronegative men. Among HIV-positive homosexual men, however, none of 21 HHV-8 seropositives had T cell responses to HHV-8, even though most responded to common recall antigens, and 10 had ≥400 CD4 cells/mm³. The results suggest that HHV-8 T cell proliferative responses are common in HIV-negative homosexual men and that HIV infection may be associated with diminished HHV-8 cellular immunity, possibly before there is substantial depletion of CD4 cells. If correct, this could explain why KS occurs relatively early in HIV infection/AIDS.