%0 Journal Article %J Transfusion// Transfusion %D 2012 %T Human herpesvirus 8 transfusion transmission in Ghana, an endemic region of West Africa. %A Gobbini, Francesca %A Owusu-Ofori, Shirley %A Marcelin, Anne-Genevieve %A Candotti, Daniel %A Allain, Jean-Pierre %K *Blood Transfusion/ae [Adverse Effects] %K *Blood Transfusion/sn [Statistics & Numerical Data] %K *Endemic Diseases/sn [Statistics & Numerical Data] %K *Herpesviridae Infections %K *Herpesvirus 8, Human/ge [Genetics] %K Antibodies, Viral/bl [Blood] %K Blood Donors/sn [Statistics & Numerical Data] %K Genotype %K Ghana/ep [Epidemiology] %K Guinea/ep [Epidemiology] %K Herpesviridae Infections/bl [Blood] %K Herpesviridae Infections/ep [Epidemiology] %K Herpesviridae Infections/tm [Transmission] %K Herpesvirus 8, Human/cl [Classification] %K Herpesvirus 8, Human/im [Immunology] %K Humans %K Phylogeny %K Risk Factors %K Seroepidemiologic Studies %X BACKGROUND: Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) seroprevalence ranges between less than 5% in Europe and North America and 50% to 70% in sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence of HHV-8 transfusion transmission is only indirect. We conducted a serologic (anti-HHV-8) and molecular (HHV-8 DNA) study of samples from paired donor-immunocompetent recipients transfused with whole blood., STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Samples from 252 donor-recipient pairs were tested. Immunoglobulin G to HHV-8 was detected with enzyme immunoassays and confirmed with an in-house immunofluorescence assay. The cellular fraction from seroreactive donors and their recipients was tested for HHV-8 DNA., RESULTS: Anti-HHV-8 was positive (reactive in two or more assays) in 28 (11%) patients and 16 (6%) donors. Of 12 seronegative recipients (at risk of transmission) receiving seropositive blood, one very likely transmission was identified (8.3% confidence interval, 0%-23%). The donor blood contained HHV-8 DNA and his and four other donors' sequences clustered separately from recorded genotypes with a 97% bootstrap constituting a distinct genotype., CONCLUSIONS: HHV-8 is transmitted in Ghana but does not carry clinical consequences since most patients are immunocompetent. The clinical risk will increase with the availability of immunosuppressive drugs in sub-Saharan Africa. We propose that a new genotype (HHV-8-G for Ghana) be added to the current nomenclature.Copyright © 2012 American Association of Blood Banks. %B Transfusion// Transfusion %C United States %V 52 %P 2294 - 9 %8 2012// %@ 1537-2995 %G eng %N 11 %< http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&PAGE=reference&D=medl&NEWS=N&AN=22420900