Plasmodium falciparum malaria and Human herpes virus 8 (HHV8): co-infection in Ugandan children

INTRODUCTION. Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a priority in public health and represents one of the most important parasitic diseases in Uganda, where also Human herpes virus 8 (HHV8), etiological agent of Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS), is most prevalent (Romano et al., 2013, Prev. Res., 3:1-5). The malaria infection could have an impact on HHV-8 reactivation and this may influence the transmission of Kaposi Sarcoma Associated Herpes Virus (KSHV) in endemic areas. As known HHV8 establishes a long life persistent infection as result of a delicate equilibrium between viral replication and the host immune responses, that may be influenced by other pathogens such as Plasmodium falciparum (Romano et al., 2011, Prev. Res., 1:44-52; Romano et al., 2010, Parassitologia, 52:405-410). MATERIALS AND METHODS. Children were enrolled during cross-sectional surveys performed in two different zones of Uganda: Kampala suburbs (Central-Southern Uganda) and in rural sites of Karamoja region (North-Eastern Uganda). Fingerpick blood samples and saliva samples were spotted on Whatman grade 1 filter papers at the time of the field survey and then air-dried before being separately stored in sealed plastic containers. From each sample, the presence of P. falciparum DNA was investigated by nested PCR and the presence of HHV8 DNA was detected by Real Time PCR. Statistical analysis was performed with the application of descriptive methods and 95% confidence interval. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS. We analyzed a sample of 259 children with mean age of 7.1 (1<13) years. P. falciparum DNA was detected in 36.7% (95% C. I. 31.0 – 42.7) of samples, while HHV8-DNA in 5.8 % (95% C.I. 9.8 – 24.4). The co-infection was detected in 8.3%. Our results lead us to speculate that the Plasmodium falciparum malaria, by affecting the host immune system, could represent a possible risk factor for infection or reactivation of latent HHV8. Further studies are needed investigating other Africa sub-Saharan countries where these diseases are endemic.