A 34-year-old man with HIV (CD4 count 80 cells/μL, defaulting ART) presents with painless violaceous plaques on the hard palate and nodular skin lesions over both legs that do not blanch. Biopsy shows spindle cells forming slit-like vascular spaces with extravasated red cells. The infectious agent responsible is:

• A Human herpesvirus 8 ✓
• B Epstein-Barr virus
• C Human papillomavirus type 16
• D Molluscum contagiosum virus

Explanation

Kaposi sarcoma is caused by human herpesvirus 8 (Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus), which infects endothelial cells driving spindle cell proliferation. The biopsy shows slit-like vascular spaces lined by atypical spindle cells, classic for KS. EBV causes oral hairy leukoplakia and lymphomas such as Burkitt lymphoma, HPV causes warts and cervical cancer, and molluscum contagiosum produces umbilicated papules, not violaceous vascular plaques.

Reference: Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 10th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.