Human Herpesvirus 8: Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Virus

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is a transforming gammaherpesvirus, and viral proteins can induce KS-associated cellular changes that enable the virus to evade the host immune system and allow the infected cell to survive and proliferate despite viral infection. Like other herpesviruses, the infection is lifelong, and there is no treatment that can cure patients from the virus. This disease causes three human malignancies: Kaposi’s sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and many cases of the plasmablastic form of multicentric Castleman’s disease (MCD) as well as occasional cases of plasmablastic lymphoma arising from MCD; it has also been linked to rare cases of bone marrow failure and hepatitis. Kaposi’s sarcoma is a rare multifocal tumor, caused by multiple cell types, mostly endothelial cells, which presents cutaneous and extracutaneous manifestations. It has been associated with the presence of herpes virus 8 (HHV-8), which through various carcinogenic mechanisms induce mutation and disorderly proliferation of endothelial cells. The understanding of structure, life cycle, and pathogenesis should now allow us to make diagnostic strategies and therapeutic mechanisms against the virus, due to its great and complex pathological impact on the world population. A preventive approach would be ideal to greatly reduce the global incidence of KS, and studies are underway to achieve this.