Gammaherpesviral infections in patients with immunological disorders

Human herpes virus type 4 (HHV-4), commonly known as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8) are members of Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily. They both develop latent infections in B lymphocytes. Infection with these viruses in immunocompetent patients is usually mild and self-limiting, but it can have more severe course in immunocompromised individuals. Failure of the immune system often leads to oncogenesis related to gammaherpetic infection. Thus, immunocompromised patients are far more likely to develop proliferative diseases caused by EBV or HHV-8. This problem also applies to HIV-positive individuals coinfected with EBV or HHV-8. Gammaherpesviruses can also be the cause of post-transplantation issues in patients on immunosuppressive drugs and EBV is known to induce severe clinical syndromes in people with specific genetic disorders. Presented article summarizes epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical syndromes and treatment of EBV and HHV-8 in individuals with immunological disorders.

1. Introduction. 2. Gammaherpetic infections in patients with HIV/AIDS. 2.1. Burkitt’s lymphoma. 2.2. Other lymphomas associated with EBV, 2.3. Kaposi sarcoma, 2.4. Multicentric Castleman’s disease. 2.5. Primary effusion lymphoma. 3. Gammaherpetic infections in immunosuppressed individuals. 3.1. Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease. 3.2. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. 3.3. Hodgkin lymphoma. 3.4. KSHV infections. 4. Gammaherpetic infections in intrinsic immune deficiency syndromes. 5. Summary