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Epidemiologic studies suggest that human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is sexually transmitted among men who have sex with men; however, the mode of transmission is unclear.

To evaluate the patterns of shedding of HHV-8, we obtained mucosal-secretion samples from a cohort of HHV-8–seropositive men who had sex with men and had no clinical evidence of Kaposi's sarcoma. Quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) assays, in situ PCR assays, and in situ RNA hybridization were used to identify potential sources of infectious HHV-8.

We detected HHV-8 in at least one mucosal sample from 30 of 50 men who were seropositive for HHV-8 (60 percent). Overall, HHV-8 was detected in 30 percent of oropharyngeal samples, as compared with 1 percent of anal and genital samples (P<0.001). In 39 percent of the HHV-8–seropositive men, HHV-8 was detected in saliva on more than …