Kaposi sarcoma (;
KS) is a tumor caused by infection with
human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), also known as Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) or KS agent. It was originally described by
Moritz Kaposi, a
Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the
University of Vienna in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the
AIDS-defining illnesses in the 1980s. The viral cause for this cancer was discovered in 1994. Although KS is now well-established to be caused by a viral infection, there is widespread lack of awareness of this even among persons at risk for KSHV/HHV-8 infection.