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The 11 th International Workshop on KSHV & Related Agents, Birmingham, UK
Clinical & Epidemiology Abstract 55
EARLY CHILDHOOD INFECTION BY KAPOSI’S SARCOMA-ASSOCIATED
HERPESVIRUS AND EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS IN ZAMBIA
Veenu Minhas, 1* Brad P Brayfield, 1 Tendai J. M’soka, 2 Chipepo Kankasa, 2 Charles D.
Mitchell, 3 and Charles Wood, 1
1 Nebraska Center for Virology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska
Lincoln, Lincoln, NE USA; 2 Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University
Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia; 3 Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami
School of Medicine, Miami, FL USA.
Abstract
Significant differences exist between developed and developing countries in the
prevalence rate, age of infection and the observed clinical manifestations for Kaposi’s
sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections. Both are
oncogenic gamma-herpesviruses that have been associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma and
AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphomas, respectively. Therefore, it is of interest to
understand the natural history of infection of these two gamma-herpesviruses in an
endemic area, their potential interaction and the role of human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) infection and other risk factors that may be associated with early childhood
infection. This study was conducted on a cohort of 12 month old infants from Lusaka,
Zambia. A set of pre-tested standardized questionnaires was used to gather data from
the caregivers and multivariate analysis was performed to assess the association of a
range of risk factors to seroprevalence. We observed a significantly higher
seroprevalence for EBV (60.7%) as compared to KSHV (15.4%). HIV infected children
were at a significantly higher risk of being infected with KSHV. The HIV positive status of
their mothers was a significant risk factor for increased risk of EBV but not KSHV
transmission to children. Presence of rashes was significantly associated with higher risk
of seroconversion for KSHV and EBV. Most other medical and socio-economic factors
were not associated with increased risk. High viral burdens during early childhood
especially in HIV infected children may be contributing to higher morbidity, mortality or
risk of developing childhood cancers in young children.
Presenting author Email: veenu@bigred.unl.edu
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