Objectives: To determine the prevalence of EBV-DNA, CMV-DNA and HPV-DNA in oral healthy mucosa of HIV-infected and renal transplant patients. To associate the detection of viral genomes with laboratory parameters of immunodeficiency, gender, antiretroviral and immunosuppressive therapy.

Design: A cross-sectional analysis of lingual and buccal cytobrushings from HIV-infected and renal transplant patients.

Subjects and methods: Lingual and buccal cytobrushings were obtained from clinically normal oral mucosa of 57 HIV+, 40 renal transplant patients and 30 healthy uninfected controls, all matched for age at baseline of examination. Presence of EBV-, CMV- and HPV-DNA was assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We evaluated their association, in HIV+ subjects, with gender, CD4+ cell count, HIV-RNA load, and antiretroviral therapy; and in renal transplant patients, with gender, CD4/CD8 ratio, and immunosuppressive therapy. Data were managed and analysed by Epi-Info 6.0.

Results: EBV-DNA was detected in 42.1% of HIV+ (24/57), in 65.0% of transplant patients (26/40), and in 16.6% of controls (5/30) (P = 0.03 and P = 0.0001, respectively). Furthermore, male gender in HIV+ group was found to be significantly associated with the presence of EBV-DNA (P = 0.02) vs females, after adjusting for CD4+ cell count and HIV-RNA load. CMV- and HPV-DNA were detected in 3.5% and 7.0% of HIV+, and in none and 20.0% of transplant patients, respectively. No relationship was found between the epithelial detection of these two viruses and any parameter evaluated.

Conclusions: EBV genome was significantly detected in clinically normal oral mucosa of renal transplant and HIV+ patients. A significant gender association was found among HIV+, suggesting that oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) is more likely to occur in HIV+ men than women.