Background. The discovery of the Human Herpes virus 8 (HHV8) improved our knowledge of the pathogenesis of Kaposi s sarcoma. After organ transplantation, Kaposi s sarcoma exhibits distinctive features compared wit...Background. The discovery of the Human Herpes virus 8 (HHV8) improved our knowledge of the pathogenesis of Kaposi s sarcoma. After organ transplantation, Kaposi s sarcoma exhibits distinctive features compared with other forms of the disease. Patients and methods. We report 22 cases of post-transplant Kaposi s sarcoma (12 kidneys, 2 kidney-pancreas, 6 livers and 2 hearts). The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze clinical and virological characteristics in these transplant patients and to specify the frequency of HHV8 seroconversions in this population. Results. Twenty-one patients showed cutaneous lesions and 9 had visceral involvement. HHV8 serology was positive in 16/20 patients at transplantation and in 21/22 cases at the time of Kaposi s sarcoma diagnosis. Most cases corresponded to viral reactivations whereas seroconversions occurred in 2 cases and may have been linked to viral transmission by the graft. Treatment led to recovery in 68p. 100 of the cases. Two heart-transplant patients died from their disease. We included in our series two cases of re-transplanted patients without recurrence of Kaposi s sarcoma and one case of familial Kaposi s sarcoma. Discussion. Seroconversions after transplantation emphasize the interest of systematic screening of HHV8 serology in transplant recipients and their donors.展开更多
文摘Background. The discovery of the Human Herpes virus 8 (HHV8) improved our knowledge of the pathogenesis of Kaposi s sarcoma. After organ transplantation, Kaposi s sarcoma exhibits distinctive features compared with other forms of the disease. Patients and methods. We report 22 cases of post-transplant Kaposi s sarcoma (12 kidneys, 2 kidney-pancreas, 6 livers and 2 hearts). The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze clinical and virological characteristics in these transplant patients and to specify the frequency of HHV8 seroconversions in this population. Results. Twenty-one patients showed cutaneous lesions and 9 had visceral involvement. HHV8 serology was positive in 16/20 patients at transplantation and in 21/22 cases at the time of Kaposi s sarcoma diagnosis. Most cases corresponded to viral reactivations whereas seroconversions occurred in 2 cases and may have been linked to viral transmission by the graft. Treatment led to recovery in 68p. 100 of the cases. Two heart-transplant patients died from their disease. We included in our series two cases of re-transplanted patients without recurrence of Kaposi s sarcoma and one case of familial Kaposi s sarcoma. Discussion. Seroconversions after transplantation emphasize the interest of systematic screening of HHV8 serology in transplant recipients and their donors.
