Presser, Lance Douglas
(2007)
DETECTION OF HHV-8 IN AUTOPSY SAMPLES FROM AIDS PATIENTS.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8), also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, is the most recently identified human herpesvirus. A key question regarding HHV-8 is the location of infected cells within HHV-8 seropositive individuals. Outside of tumor tissues, HHV-8 viral proteins have been detected in saliva, circulating B cells, and semen of some, but not all HHV-8 seropositive individuals. HHV-8 is the causative agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and is associated with two other distinct proliferative disorders: primary effusion lymphoma and some forms of multicentric Castleman's disease. To better understand viral infection including the cellular targets of infection, we have begun a systematic screening of autopsy tissues from HHV-8 seropositive men who died with AIDS. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), my goals were to determine reservoirs of HHV-8 infection and latency in organ tissues, determine the type of viral infection (lytic and/or latent) of each tissue type, and attempt to identify the infected cell type. In this report, using IHC, we document the presence of HHV-8 infected cells in several organs including kidney, lung, liver, and gastrointestinal tract samples from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Both lytic and latent infections have been detected and the infected cells appear to consist of both immune and non-immune cells. These results demonstrate the ability of HHV-8 to establish infections in various organs which may affect the pathogenesis of the virus in infected individuals. Kaposi's sarcoma is currently a major public health concern, as it is the most common malignancy found in individuals with AIDS and iatrogenic KS is a key concern in the field of solid-organ transplantation. This study will attempt to identify reservoirs of HHV-8 infection within the body in order to better understand the biology of HHV-8 in infected individuals, and the role HHV-8 plays in disease pathogenesis.
Share
| Citation/Export: |
|
| Social Networking: |
|
Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
|
| Date: |
28 June 2007 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Defense Date: |
3 May 2007 |
| Approval Date: |
28 June 2007 |
| Submission Date: |
13 April 2007 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Infectious Diseases and Microbiology |
| Degree: |
MS - Master of Science |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
AIDS; HIV; Immunohistochemistry; IVL; K8.1; KSHV; LANA-1; MACS; vIL-6 |
| Other ID: |
http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-04132007-104750/, etd-04132007-104750 |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Nov 2011 19:37 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 13:40 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/7105 |
Metrics
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}