Human herpesvirus 8 is not associated with sarcoidosis in Japanese patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVES

The etiology of sarcoidosis remains unknown, but recently it was reported that human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) may be detected in sarcoid tissue in a high proportion of patients. This study was performed to determine whether HHV-8 is implicated in sarcoidosis in Japan.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from 100 patients with sarcoidosis and 100 healthy donors living in central Japan. Additionally, 19 samples of sarcoid tissue, 10 of tuberculous tissue, and 10 of lung cancers were examined. DNA was extracted from PBMC or tissue samples, and a hemi-nested polymerase chain reaction assay was performed for HHV-8 detection.

RESULTS

In the PBMC study, the detection rates for HHV-8 in patients with sarcoidosis and in normal donors were 2% and 1%, respectively, the difference not being significant (p>0.99). In the tissue study, HHV-8 was detected in 10.5% of sarcoid and in 15% of nonsarcoid tissues, again not a significant difference (p>0.99).

CONCLUSIONS

From these results, we conclude that HHV-8 is not implicated in sarcoidosis in Japanese patients.