eprintid: 7105
rev_number: 4
userid: 6
dir: disk0/00/00/71/05
datestamp: 2011-11-10 19:37:00
lastmod: 2016-11-15 13:40:02
status_changed: 2011-11-10 19:37:00
type: thesis_degree
metadata_visibility: show
contact_email: pdl7@pitt.edu; l_presser@hotmail.com
item_issues_count: 0
eprint_status: archive
creators_name: Presser, Lance Douglas
creators_email: pdl7@pitt.edu; l_presser@hotmail.com
creators_id: PDL7
title: DETECTION OF HHV-8 IN AUTOPSY SAMPLES FROM AIDS PATIENTS
ispublished: unpub
divisions: sch_gsph_infectiousdiseasesmicrobiology
full_text_status: public
keywords: AIDS; HIV; Immunohistochemistry; IVL; K8.1; KSHV; LANA-1; MACS; vIL-6
abstract: Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8), also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, is the most recently identified human herpesvirus. A key question regarding HHV-8 is the location of infected cells within HHV-8 seropositive individuals. Outside of tumor tissues, HHV-8 viral proteins have been detected in saliva, circulating B cells, and semen of some, but not all HHV-8 seropositive individuals. HHV-8 is the causative agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and is associated with two other distinct proliferative disorders: primary effusion lymphoma and some forms of multicentric Castleman's disease. To better understand viral infection including the cellular targets of infection, we have begun a systematic screening of autopsy tissues from HHV-8 seropositive men who died with AIDS. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), my goals were to determine reservoirs of HHV-8 infection and latency in organ tissues, determine the type of viral infection (lytic and/or latent) of each tissue type, and attempt to identify the infected cell type. In this report, using IHC, we document the presence of HHV-8 infected cells in several organs including kidney, lung, liver, and gastrointestinal tract samples from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Both lytic and latent infections have been detected and the infected cells appear to consist of both immune and non-immune cells. These results demonstrate the ability of HHV-8 to establish infections in various organs which may affect the pathogenesis of the virus in infected individuals. Kaposi's sarcoma is currently a major public health concern, as it is the most common malignancy found in individuals with AIDS and iatrogenic KS is a key concern in the field of solid-organ transplantation. This study will attempt to identify reservoirs of HHV-8 infection within the body in order to better understand the biology of HHV-8 in infected individuals, and the role HHV-8 plays in disease pathogenesis.
date: 2007-06-28
date_type: completed
institution: University of Pittsburgh
refereed: TRUE
etdcommittee_type: committee_chair
etdcommittee_type: committee_member
etdcommittee_type: committee_member
etdcommittee_name: Jenkins, Frank J
etdcommittee_name: Rinaldo, Charles R
etdcommittee_name: Reinhart, Todd A
etdcommittee_email: fjenkins@pitt.edu
etdcommittee_email: rinaldo@pitt.edu
etdcommittee_email: reinhar@pitt.edu
etdcommittee_id: FJENKINS
etdcommittee_id: RINALDO
etdcommittee_id: REINHAR
etd_defense_date: 2007-05-03
etd_approval_date: 2007-06-28
etd_submission_date: 2007-04-13
etd_access_restriction: immediate
etd_patent_pending: FALSE
assigned_doi: doi:10.5195/pitt.etd.2011.7105
thesis_type: thesis
degree: MS
committee: Frank J. Jenkins, PhD (fjenkins@pitt.edu) - Committee Chair
committee: Charles R. Rinaldo Jr., PhD (rinaldo@pitt.edu) - Committee Member
committee: Todd A. Reinhart, ScD (reinhar@pitt.edu) - Committee Member
etdurn: etd-04132007-104750
other_id: http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-04132007-104750/
other_id: etd-04132007-104750
citation:   Presser, Lance Douglas  (2007) DETECTION OF HHV-8 IN AUTOPSY SAMPLES FROM AIDS PATIENTS.  Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.    (Unpublished)  
document_url: http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/7105/1/lancepresserthesis.pdf