Frequent demonstration of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) in bone marrow biopsy samples from Turkish patients with multiple myeloma (MM)

Leukemia. 2001 Aug;15(8):1268-73. doi: 10.1038/sj.leu.2402190.

Abstract

In order to investigate the frequency of HHV-8 in MM patients from another geographic location, we obtained fresh bone marrow (BM) biopsies from Turkish patients with MM (n = 21), monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) (n = 2), plasmacytoma (n = 1) with BM plasma cell infiltration, various hematological disorders (n = 6), and five healthy Turkish controls. The frequency of HHV-8 was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in two independent laboratories in the USA and in Turkey. Using fresh BM biopsies, 17/21 MM patients were positive for HHV-8 whereas all five healthy controls, and six patients with other hematological disorders were negative. Two patients with MGUS, and one patient with a solitary plasmacytoma were also negative. The data from the two laboratories were completely concordant. Also using primer pairs for v IRF and v IL-8R confirmed the results observed with the KS330233 primers. Furthermore, sequence analysis demonstrated a C3 strain pattern in the ORF26 region which was also found in MM patients from the US. Thus, HHV-8 is present in the majority of Turkish MM patients, and the absence of the virus in healthy controls further supports its role in the pathogenesis of MM.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biopsy
  • Bone Marrow / pathology*
  • Bone Marrow / virology*
  • Herpesviridae Infections / epidemiology
  • Herpesviridae Infections / virology*
  • Herpesvirus 8, Human / isolation & purification*
  • Humans
  • Multiple Myeloma / epidemiology
  • Multiple Myeloma / etiology
  • Multiple Myeloma / pathology
  • Multiple Myeloma / virology*
  • Turkey / epidemiology