Prevalence of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus in Uygur and Han populations from the Urumqi and Kashgar regions of Xinjiang, China

Abstract

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the infectious etiologic agent associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman disease. It has been shown that high KSHV prevalence and high incidence of both classic KS and AIDSassociated KS are found mostly among people of Uygur ethnicity in Xinjiang, while people of Han ethnicity in Xinjiang have a higher KSHV seroprevalence than those of other Han populations in mainland China. However, it is still unclear why there is such geographical and population variation in KSHV distribution in China. In this work, we focused on the populations in the Kashgar region and Urumqi area, where a total of 1294 research subjects were randomly selected to investigate the potential correlation between KSHV prevalence and different ethnicities in endemic areas of Xinjiang, and to determine risk factors that may affect KSHV infection rates or KS incidence. We identified a high seroprevalence of KSHV and high peripheral blood DNA infection in the general Uygur and Han populations in both Urumqi and Kashgar regions of Xinjiang, and determined that advancing age, low education level, and stationary population status affect KSHV infection rates. Further, KSHV-positive Uygur participants were shown to have higher prevalence of neutralizing antibodies and neutralizing antibody titers than KSHV-positive Han participants.

Social behavioral correlates of Kaposi sarcoma–associated herpesvirus infection among Han and Uygur populations in Xinjiang, China

“…Previous studies, including ours, have demonstrated that KSHV is highly prevalent in Xinjiang, China, but most of them were restricted to high‐risk groups . However, epidemiological study investigated the current status of KSHV infection and potential correlates in general population was relatively scarce .…”

“…Previous studies, including ours, have demonstrated that KSHV is highly prevalent in Xinjiang, China, but most of them were restricted to high-risk groups. 17,22,23 However, epidemiological study investigated the current status of KSHV infection and potential correlates in general population was relatively scarce. 16,18 The current study can play as an important supplement to the scarcity of KSHV data in China and can help to unveil the epidemiological characteristics of the certain virus in this country.…”

“…However, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, located in northwestern China and diverse in ethnicity, has a significantly higher incidence of KS and a higher seroprevalence of KSHV . Previous studies reported that the seroprevalence of KSHV ranged from 19.2% to 35.4% in the general adult population of Xinjiang . The province is ethnically diverse, and the high risk has been previously identified in minorities, especially Uygur population.…”

“…16 Previous studies reported that the seroprevalence of KSHV ranged from 19.2% to 35.4% in the general adult population of Xinjiang. [16][17][18] The province is ethnically diverse, and the high risk has been previously identified in minorities, especially Uygur population. Unique lifestyle and culture of Uygur people in Xinjiang might facilitate the transmission of KSHV and thereby enhance the chance of KSHV infection.…”

Herpesviruses: epidemiology, pathogenesis, and interventions

“…Zeng and colleagues report an investigation on the KSHV prevalence in Uygur and Han populations from the Urumqi and Kashgar regions of Xinjiang, China. They find the potential correlation between KSHV prevalence and different ethnicities in endemic areas of Xinjiang, and several environmental factors including population migration may affect KSHV infection rates or KS incidence (Zheng et al, 2017). Meanwhile, Zhang and colleagues report a comprehensive meta-analysis on the epidemiological features of KSHV among intravenous drug users (IDUs) worldwide, and find IDUs are at higher risk of the KSHV infection globally, when compared with the general population, regardless of geographical region or HIV-infection status (Fang et al, 2017).…”