Pretransplantation prevalence of human herpes virus 8 antibodies in kidney donors and recipients in Athens, Greece

AIM: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anti-human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) antibodies in a cohort of renal donors and recipients in Athens, Greece. HHV8, the etiological agent of posttransplantation Kaposi's sarcoma, causes significant morbidity and mortality. METHODS: Serum samples from 97 subjects (49 donors and 48 recipients) were tested with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) prior to renal transplantation. RESULTS: Only 2 subjects (both transplant recipients) were found to be anti-HHV8-positive. Both subjects were of Albanian origin. CONCLUSION: Infection with HHV8 appears to be limited in the Greek population. However, in light of significant long-term morbidity with which HHV8 is related in immunocompromized patients, studies on the general population are needed to estimate the prevalence of HHV8 infection in the country and devise clear guidelines for pretransplantation screening and posttransplantation follow-up.