Absence of Viral DNA Suggests Sri Lanka as a Non-Endemic Country for Kaposi’s Sarcoma Associated Virus (KSHV): A Case Series Study

¹School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia

²Preventive Oral Health Unit, The National Dental Hospital (Teaching), Colombo, Sri Lanka

³Oral & Maxillofacial Unit D, National Dental Hospital (Teaching) Sri Lanka, Ward Place, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka

*Corresponding Author: Manosha Lakmali Perera, School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia (Alumni), Tel +94 71 3271945, ORCID: 0000-0001-7275-2736; Email: [email protected].

Received Date: August 16, 2023

Published Date: September 20, 2023

Citation: Perera ML, et al. (2023). Absence of Viral DNA Suggests Sri Lanka as a Non-Endemic Country for Kaposi’s Sarcoma Associated Virus (KSHV): A Case Series Study. Mathews J Case Rep. 8(8):123.

Copyrights: Perera ML, et al. © (2023).

ABSTRACT

Amidst innovations in early detection strategies and treatment options, oral cancer constitutes the Head and neck cancers (HNSCCs) echelons as the number one among Sri Lankan males and, also continues as a global public health menace. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the commonest oral malignancy in most countries, with no exception in Sri Lanka. Persistent immunosuppression in oral cancer patients triggers the activation of the lytic cycle of latent viruses demonstrating B cell tropism. Of them, Human Herpes virus 8 (HHV 8) better known as Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) relates to malignancies, especially among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. In the light of these findings, this case series study aimed to detect the HHV-8 status in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissues of Sri Lankan male patients. Ethical clearance was obtained from Sri Lanka and Australia. Written informed consent was obtained from the participants. Incisional biopsies of cases were collected, transported, stored, and dispatched as frozen tissues at -80⁰ C. The DNA was extracted from frozen specimens using Gentra Puregene Tissue kit (Qiagen, Germany), solid tissue protocol according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The real-time PCR was performed with the specific primers to detect HHV- 8 in these OSCC cases. However, the HHV-8 DNA was not found d in 22 OSCC cases. Prevalence and associated risk factors of KSHV differ within populations and geographic locations across the world establishing the reservoir of this virus in high-risk groups of endemic countries. Sri Lanka seems a non-endemic country for this oncogenic virus. Small sample size is a limitation of this study. Powered studies based on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients will confirm Sri Lanka as a non- endemic country for one of the two gamma herpes viruses.

Keywords: Oral Cancer, Human Herpes Virus 8, Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpes Virus, Risk Factors, Non-Endemic.