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Patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) have a high risk of blood-borne viral infections. Bloodborne
transmission of Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) may exist. The possibility of high incidence of
post transplantation Kaposi sarcoma (KS) might be the result of infection with HHV-8. The aim of
this study was to determine the prevalence of HHV-8 in 60 uremic Egyptian patients on regular HD
by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) compared to 30 healthy controls and study the role of
associated risk factors. HHV-8 DNA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by PCR
using primer sets located in the HHV-8 open reading frame 9-1(ORFK9-1). The prevalence of HHV-
8 was significantly higher (p=0.029) in HD patients compared to the control group. The detection
rate of HHV-8 DNA was significantly higher in older age (p=0.026), and longer duration of HD (p=
0.025). HHV-8 DNA detection rates were insignificantly different with patient sex, history of blood
transfusion, patient education and residence. High prevalence of HHV-8 infection in HD patients
supports the possibility of virus transmission in those patients via HD, or uremic patients are at risk
of reactivation of HHV-8-latent infection.
Key words: HHV-8, Blood transmission, PCR, Hemodialysis.