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This article is part of the supplement: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Malignancies in AIDS and Other Acquired Immunodeficiencies (ICMAOI): Basic, Epidemiologic, and Clinical Research

Open Access Oral presentation

A population-based study of how children are exposed to saliva in Africa: implications for KSHV transmission

LM Butler1*, S Mzolo2, A Mosam2 and JN Martin1

  • * Corresponding author: LM Butler

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, California, USA

2 University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa

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Infectious Agents and Cancer 2009, 4(Suppl 2):O4 doi:10.1186/1750-9378-4-S2-O4

Published: 17 June 2009

First paragraph (this article has no abstract)

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is endemic among most sub-Saharan African populations. In those regions with the highest seroprevalences, there is a steady increase in KSHV seropositivity with age among children indicating that horizontal non-sexual transmission in childhood is the primary means of spread. While it is known that saliva is the body fluid that most commonly harbors KSHV and is therefore an important conduit for KSHV transmission, there is scant information on how African children are exposed to saliva and whether this exposure is preventable.