Abstract
Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a previously rare, tumour-like lesion of controversial biological nature1,2. KS has since the early 1980s become frequent in patients with AIDS, particularly in homosexuals3. KS is also endemic in Central Africa predominantly in otherwise healthy men but also in women and children1,4. Recently, evidence for the presence of novel, herpes virus DNA sequences in more than 90% of AIDS Kaposi lesions (AKS) was presented5. This DNA was identified using representational difference analysis (RDA) generating short, unique sequences with variable homology to several herpes virus, but no intact virus was recovered. If these DNA-sequences are also present in other, non-HIV-associated forms of Kaposi's sarcoma this would strongly suggest a specific, aetiopathological involvement of this putative new herpes virus in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma, rather than a contamination of yet another opportunistic virus in immunosuppressed AIDS patients.
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References
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Schalling, M., Ekman, M., Kaaya, E. et al. A role for a new herpes virus (KSHV) in different forms of Kaposi's sarcoma. Nat Med 1, 707–708 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0795-707
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0795-707
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