Only 11% of HHV-6 reactivated patients with poor immune reconstitution survived compared to 63% in patients with higher levels of T cells (or over 200 CD3+ lymphocytes per microliter).
ciHHV-6B activation and fetal transmission in response to high dose progesterone?
A pregnant ciHHV-6B woman with a history of miscarriages was given weekly doses of high dose progesterone. Could progesterone, like hydrocortisone, activate integrated ciHHV-6 in vitro.
Active HHV-6 found in the autoimmune thyroiditis biopsies
Investigators have found that HHV-6 DNA and mRNA are more prevalent in the autoimmune thyroiditis biopsies than in controls, according to investigators in Latvia. HHV-6 mRNA was found in 41% of the patient biopsies compared to 6% of controls.
Rapid point-of-care system screens for 14 encephalitis pathogens in one hour!
A new point-of-care assay from bioMérieux can simultaneously and rapidly detect 14 pathogens typically found in encephalitis. The machine is designed to be at the clinic or in the emergency room and can be operated by unskilled technicians. In a study of 1,560 immunocompetent patient samples, a total of 1.35% were positive for HHV-6, or about twice the expected rate of 0.8% found with the inherited chromosomally integrated HHV-6.
HHV-6 found to cause 35% of CNS infections in allo-HSCT transplantation
A retrospective analysis out of the Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center reviewed 353 consecutive adult allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) cases and identified 17 cases of CNS infection post-transplant. As determined by PCR on cerebrospinal fluid, HHV-6 was found to be the causative agent in 6 cases, or 1.7% of all transplants.
New data on HHV-6B levels in CD134+ CD4+ cells
A group from the University of Minnesota studied the T cells of umbilical cord blood transplant patients and found that CD4+ T lymphocytes co-expressing CD134 contained more than twice the level of HHV-6B than cells without CD134 expression. Surprisingly, almost 70% of the CD134 negative cells contained HHV-6.
HHV-6B saliva viral loads peak 3-7 months after primary infection
A new study on HHV-6B shedding in saliva during and after exanthema subitum found that peak detection rates and viral loads occurred during the convalescent period, between 3 to 7 months post-illness. Detection rates were lower in adults than in children suggesting that siblings may be more likely to transmit the virus than parents.
Low dose emetine shows promise as a herpesvirus antiviral
Investigators at Johns Hopkins have determined that emetine, an older drug used to treat dysentery as well as to induce vomiting, is also effective against cytomegalovirus (CMV/HHV-5). Not only was emetine effective at an extremely low dose, it demonstrated a synergistic effect when combined with ganciclovir in a mouse model of CMV infection and it worked at a much earlier stage of viral replication than the drugs currently in use.
HHV-7 homolog found in the peripheral nerve ganglia of macaques
Virologists led by Serge Barcy, PhD at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute and University of Washington have identified a homolog for HHV-7 in pigtail macaques They were surprised to learn that it could be detected in the peripheral nerve ganglia, and hope to use their new animal model to explore how HHV-7 might play a role in demyelinating diseases.
HHV-6 reactivation tied to early hypogammaglobulinemia in drug hypersensitivity syndrome
A Spanish study of drug-induced eosinophilia found that early hypogammaglobulinemia was associated with subsequent HHV-6 reactivation in patients with severe drug hypersensitivity syndromes. This study of 274 cases at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid confirms earlier reports from Japan and France that described transient reductions of total IgG at the outset of drug hypersensitivity reactions leading to HHV-6 reactivation.
HHV-6A gene activity linked to central nervous system disease
Chinese investigators from Nanjing Medical University report that HHV-6A infection of astrocytes are associated with differences in gene expression that are also found in several CNS diseases including Alzheimer’s, glioma and multiple sclerosis. The investigators used gene ontology analysis to determine the biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions of the differentially expressed genes and signalling pathways.
EBV and HHV-6B but no CMV found in astrocytomas by digital droplet PCR
A group from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, has reported finding Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and HHV-6 but no cytomegalovirus (CMV) in astrocytomas, a brain tumor comprising approximately one quarter of all gliomas diagnosed. The group used digital droplet PCR (ddPCR), a technique that is highly precise but less sensitive than nested PCR and immunohistochemistry, techniques that have been used in previous studies.
Genome editing to clear latent herpesvirus infection
A group from the University Medical Center in the Netherlands has shown that new gene editing technology can be used to impair viral replication and clear latent herpesvirus infections. The group used a CRISPR-Cas system to target viral genetic elements that completely eliminated CMV and HSV1 replication. They were also able to clear latent EBV from transformed human tumor cells.
HHV-6A infection of the uterus linked to infertility
A new study reported that HHV-6A infects the lining of the uterus in 43% of women with unexplained infertility but cannot be found in uterine lining of fertile women. Furthermore, the cytokine and the natural killer cell profiles were very different in patients with the infection. HHV-6A was found only in uterine endothelial cells, and not in the blood.
HHV-6, EBV and CMV found in GI tract cancers
A group from Washington University used a bioinformatics system called VirusScan to analyze RNA-Seq data sets from 6,813 human tumors compared to those of adjacent normal tissue. Tumor samples representing 23 different forms of cancer were analyzed. HHV-6, EBV and CMV were found at significantly high levels in GI tract cancer tissue.