Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus: a new human tumor virus, but how?

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, or human herpesvirus 8, the most recently discovered human tumor virus, is involved in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and some cases of multicentric Castleman's disease. It is non-pathogenic in the majority of otherwise healthy individuals but highly oncogenic in the context of HIV-1 infection and iatrogenic immune suppression, and other cofactors might exist. Several viral genes can interfere with normal cell growth and differentiation, but their precise role in oncogenesis is still under investigation.