Emerging Infectious Diseases (Apr 2008)

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Human Herpesvirus 8 Infection, Rural Egypt

  • Sam M. Mbulaiteye,
  • Ruth M. Pfeiffer,
  • Bryan Dolan,
  • Victor C.W. Tsang,
  • John Noh,
  • Nabiel N.H. Mikhail,
  • Mohamed Abdel-Hamid,
  • Mohamed Hashem,
  • Denise Whitby,
  • G. Thomas Strickland,
  • James J. Goedert

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1404.070935
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 4
pp. 586 – 591

Abstract

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To determine whether human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is associated with schistosomal and hepatitis C virus infections in Egypt, we surveyed 965 rural household participants who had been tested for HHV-8 and schistosomal infection (seroprevalence 14.2% and 68.6%, respectively, among those 10 lifetime injections, and hepatitis C virus seropositivity. In adjusted analyses, HHV-8 seropositivity was associated with dental treatment among men (odds ratio [OR] 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–5.2) and hepatitis C virus seropositivity among women (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4–7.9). HHV-8 association with antischistosomal antibodies was not significant for men (OR 2.1, 95% CI 0.3–16.4), but marginal for women (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0–2.5). Our findings suggest salivary and possible nosocomial HHV-8 transmission in rural Egypt.

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