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Cancer causing Virus
can be spread by Kissing
John Pauk, M.D., M.P.H., formerly of
the University of Washington in Seattle, and his associates found out
that most cases of new infection of human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8),
which caused an explosion in the number of Kaposi’s
sarcoma cases at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic,
the virus was most likely transmitted through saliva. This
cancer-causing form of herpes disproportionately affects homosexual
men.
| This study was done on 27 homosexual men.
Comparing the sexual history of these patients with those of other
homosexual men who were not infected with HHV-8, Pauk found that
“deep” kissing (in which saliva is exchanged) with an HIV-positive
partner or a partner with Kaposi’s sarcoma and the use of amyl nitrate
capsules (“poppers”) or inhaled nitrates (both used to enhance the
sexual experience) were associated with an increased risk of infection. |
Kaposi’s sarcoma is a cancer of blood vessels that affects mostly
the skin and was very rare in the United States before the AIDS
epidemic. The disease usually progresses slowly and can remain stable
for years or decades. However, the skin tumors do have a substantial
impact on quality of life in these patients, due both to the stigma
associated with the visible skin tumors and the pain they can cause.
The cancer usually occurs in people with weakened immune systems, such
as those with AIDS or patients who are on immune-suppressing drugs
following an organ transplant. The disease is rarely fatal and can
often be successfully treated with chemotherapy or other therapies.
Kaposi’s
sarcoma
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