Post renal transplantation human herpesvirus 8-associated lymphoproliferative disorder and Kaposi's sarcoma

Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) are immunosuppression-related tumours developing in solid organ transplant patients. Although the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is detected in the majority of the PTLDs during the first year after transplantation, the proportion of EBV-negative PTLDs has increased in recent years. We report a case of a 17-year-old man who developed severe immune haemolytic anaemia, KS and human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)-associated, polymorphic-type PTLD 9 months after allogeneic renal transplantation from his HHV-8-seropositive father. It is suggested that: (i) HHV-8 may be associated with EBV-negative, polymorphous-type PTLD occurring less than 1 year after transplantation, and (ii) PTLD may be listed among other tumours, including KS, Castleman's disease and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), that are related to HHV-8 infection.