Increased human herpesvirus 8 seroprevalence in young homosexual men who have multiple sex contacts with different partners

The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavioral risks that are associated with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection in a cohort of young homosexual men. Seventy-nine subjects (ages 22-33 years) who completed a questionnaire about their sexual and drug use behavior over the preceding year were recruited from the San Francisco Young Men's Health Study. Plasma samples were tested for anti-HHV-8 antibodies using an indirect IFA. Thirty-eight subjects (48.1%) were infected with HHV-8. HHV-8 infection was significantly linked to an increasing number of male sex partners (P=.025, Mantel-Haenszel chi2 test for trend), suggesting a strong association between HHV-8 infection and multiple homosexual contacts.