Kaposi's Sarcoma–Associated Herpesvirus DNA Sequences in Prostate Tissue and Human Semen

Background Sequences of a novel herpesvirus, Kaposi's sarcoma–associated herpesvirus (KSHV), have been identified in Kaposi's sarcoma tissue, but it is not known whether the virus is transmitted by sexual contact. Methods Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we searched for KSHV DNA sequences in ejaculates from 43 healthy men and tissue from the urogenital tract or prostate of 100 immunocompetent adults. Results In an unblinded analysis, we identified KSHV DNA sequences in 2 of 20 tissue specimens from the urinary tract (10 percent; 15 men and 5 women), 3 of 46 specimens from the female genital tract (6.5 percent), 4 of 18 specimens from the glans or foreskin (22 percent), 7 of 16 specimens from the prostate (44 percent), and 30 of 33 ejaculates (91 percent). By contrast, such sequences were present in 1 of 18 samples of normal skin (5.5 percent) and 1 of 14 samples of peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs; 7.1 percent). Ejaculates and PBMC samples from each of 10 study subjects were analyzed in...