Implausibility of an aetiological association between cytomegalovirus and Kaposi's sarcoma shown by four techniques

The presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) was analysed in either lymph node or skin and lung tissue necropsy specimens affected by Kaposi's sarcoma, from 10 patients who had died of AIDS. The different detection techniques used were: (i) immunohistochemical demonstration of CMV immediate early antigen (IEA); (ii) in situ hybridisation with a biotinylated CMV DNA probe; (iii) Southern blot hybridisation of DNA extracted from sequential tissue sections; and (iv) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with CMV specific primers on the DNA samples. The results of these analyses were compared with the postmortem data on CMV obtained by infectious particle assays and histological examination, especially of adrenal glands of the same patients. The results of the various detection methods correlated very well, yielding a combined score of six of 10 patients positive for CMV; there did not seem to be any association between the presence of CMV and the occurrence of Kaposi's sarcoma in our patients.