LAUSR

Primary Characterization of a Herpesvirus Agent Associated with Kaposi’s Sarcomae Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a neoplasm occurring in both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and uninfected persons. Epidemiologic studies suggested that KS has an infectious etiology. Chang et al. [Y. Chang et al., Science 266(5192):1865–1869, 1994, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.7997879] isolated unique DNA sequences from KS tissues obtained from patients with AIDS. The sequences were homologous to, but distinct from, capsid and tegument protein genes of the gammaherpesviruses. Moore et al. (P. S. Moore et al., J Virol 70:549 –558, 1996, http://jvi.asm.org/content/70/1/549 .abstract) characterized this virus using a continuously infected B-lymphocyte cell line derived from an AIDS-related lymphoma and a genomic library made from a KS lesion. The viral genome was present as an episomal genome. A region of 20.7 kb of the genome was sequenced, revealing 17 partial and complete open reading frames; all except one had sequence and positional homology to known gammaherpesvirus genes. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the agent is a gamma-2 herpesvirus (genus Rhadinovirus) and is the first member of this genus known to infect humans. Sera from patients with KS were shown to have specific antibodies against antigens of infected cell lines, and these antibodies were absent in sera from AIDS patients without KS. These studies defined the virus as a new human herpesvirus, Kaposi’s sarcomaassociated herpesvirus (KSHV).