Intrahost genome diversity of Human Herpesvirus 8

Kaposi Sarcoma is one of the AIDS-defining malignancy with many clinical manifestations. Kaposi Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus or Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) is the etiologic agent of KS, yet how the disease develops from chronic infection is poorly understood. In other tumorigenic viruses, viral de novo mutations and strain variation has been associated with varying disease risk, progression or outcomes. Whether HHV8 diversity across its 165 kb genome plays a role in the development of KS has not been evaluated. In this project we do whole genome sequencing of HHV8 genomes from multiple anatomic sites within adults with Kaposi Sarcoma to discover any intra-host mutations and possible clinical phenotypes.