Prevalence of Herpesvirus 8 Infection in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

In this study a possible relationship between the presence of type 2 diabetes (DM2) and the Human Herpesvirus 8 infection (HHV-8) has been evaluated. The presence of HHV-8 DNA was monitored by nested PCR and Southern blotting in peripheral blood leucocytes of DM2 patients admitted to the Diabetology and Metabolic Disease Service of the "S. Giovanni di Dio" Hospital (Cagliari, Italy); healthy blood donor subjects were examined as controls. The results suggest that the frequency of HHV-8 DNA detection is more elevated in DM2 patients (23.7%) than in healthy control subjects (12%, p<0.05). The association of HHV-8 infection with some other frequent complicating pathologies of DM2 patients was also evaluated. The possible role of HHV-8 in DM2 disease and related intercurrent pathologies is critically discussed.