Biomedical Frontiers: Fall 1996, Vol.4, No.1
New Test for KS

Two newly developed tests can identify antibodies to Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). Developed by Drs. Shou-Jiang Gao, research scientist in epidemiology; Patrick S. Moore, associate professor of epidemiology; and Yuan Chang, assistant professor of pathology, the tests further erase any doubt that KSHV causes Kaposi's sarcoma.

In studies reported in the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Medicine, the tests identified KSHV antibodies in populations at risk but not in low-risk populations, disproving the idea that KSHV is ubiquitous and therefore cannot cause KS. "This is essentially the last nail in the coffin for proving causality," says Dr. Moore. "In my mind there is no question that KSHV causes KS." Patent applications have been filed for the assays. The researchers are now working to increase the test's sensitivity, which currently stands at 80 percent to 90 percent.