Figure 2. HHV8 and AIDS-related Cancers. General overview of the KSHV lifecycle. It is thought that naïve B cells represent the major reservoir for latent KSHV infections. Infection leads to immortalization and stable maintenance of the latent virus. Reactivation to the lytic (productive) phase occurs at low frequency allowing the colonization of new B cell hosts or other cell types. Under conditions of severe immunosuppression (AIDS, renal transplant), infected B cells are able to proliferate unchecked, giving rise to life-threatening lymphoproliferative lesions such as primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and multicentric Castleman's Disease (MCD). Infected endothelial cells adopt a distinctive elongated morphology (known as spindle cells) and form highly vasculated tumors characteristic of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS).