The aetiology of Kaposi's sarcoma

The aetiology of KS remains unknown, but recent evidence suggests that the disease is caused by the presence of an infectious agent in an immunosuppressed host. Although there are a variety of clinical presentations, the putative infectious agent is likely to be the same in all cases. The pathophysiology of the lesions, the types of immunosuppression that facilitate disease expression, the response to therapy and the distribution of disease within immunosuppressed populations provide important clues to the nature of the unidentified infectious agent.