Clinical and demographic factors associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus shedding in saliva or cervical secretions in a cohort of Tanzanian women

Abstract Background Reasons for the high prevalence of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus in sub-Saharan Africa, and risk factors leading to viral reactivation and shedding remain largely undefined. Preliminary studies have suggested that schistosome infection, which has been associated with impaired viral control, is associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus reactivation. In this study we sought to determine the relationship between active S. mansoni or S. haematobium infection and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus shedding. Methods We quantified Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus DNA in saliva and cervical swabs from two cohorts of women living in northwestern Tanzanian communities endemic for S. mansoni or S. haematobium by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Chi-squared and Fisher’s Exact tests were used to determine differences in clinical and demographic factors between those who were and were not shedding Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. Results Among 139 total women, 44.6% were KSHV seropositive. Six percent of those with S. mansoni and 17.1% of those with S. haematobium were actively shedding Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus in saliva and none in cervical samples. Women from the S. mansoni cohort who were shedding virus reported infertility more frequently (80% versus 19.5%, p = 0.009). There was no difference in frequency of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus salivary shedding between schistosome infected and uninfected women. Conclusion In an area with high Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus seroprevalence and endemic schistosome infections, we provide the first report with data demonstrating no association between schistosome infection and salivary or cervical herpesvirus shedding. Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus salivary shedding was associated with infertility, a known effect of another herpesvirus, human herpesvirus-6.