New guidelines from Japan recommend foscarnet as the first-line treatment for HHV-6 encephalitis, with ganciclovir as second choice. They also recommend a combination therapy in severe cases.
HHV-6B induces ER stress in primary monocytes, impairing their survival and differentiation into dendritic cells
Investigators propose that the induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress, likely exacerbated by autophagy inhibition, could contribute to the immune suppression induced by HHV-6B in exanthem subitem patients.
Pruritis, pain and numbness are signs of HHV-6 myelitis: a review of 19 cases
A review of post-transplant cases found that the incidence of HHV-6 myelitis was 4.1%; symptoms of pruritus without rash, pain, numbness, dysuria and constipation are potential signs.
European guidelines published for diagnosing, preventing, and managing HHV-6 disease
European guidelines recommend treating HHV-6 disease with either foscarnet or ganciclovir, in contrast to the Japanese guidelines that recommend foscarnet as first line treatment due to a lower mortality rate.
HHV-6B lung infection doubles the mortality rate of transplant patients with respiratory disease
Investigators at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Washington in Seattle found that HHV-6B in lung fluid of bone marrow transplant recipients with pneumonia is associated with a 2-fold increased risk of death. Importantly, HHV-6B positive patients who were treated with an antiviral had a 60% lower risk of death.
Spontaneous gene expression in iciHHV-6A/B individuals leads to increased HHV-6 IE-1A/B and CMV antibody response; higher levels of RNA were found in iciHHV-6A brains
A comprehensive study of DNA and RNA-Seq data demonstrated in vivo gene expression in many iciHHV-6 tissues, with strong expression of IE-1 and matching elevated antibody response in iciHHV-6 individuals compared to controls.
Could anti-cytokine therapy be the key to reducing CNS damage in HHV-6 encephalitis?
Japanese investigators evaluated cytokines and chemokines in the CSF and plasma in HHV-6 encephalitis patients with good and poor prognoses. They found IL-6, IL-7, MCP-1 to be elevated one week before onset, suggesting that these cytokines may be effective targets for intervention.
Karolinska study on HHV-6A serology highlighted at major MS conference, ECTRIMS
HHV-6 is rarely discussed at the major multiple sclerosis meetings but this year, Anna Fogdell-Hahn from Karolinska Institute was a featured speaker at the 35th meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.
HHV-6 found in 22% of acute liver failure of “unknown etiology”
A third of patients with acute liver failure were found to have a betaherpesvirus infection when tested for all herpesviruses. HHV-6 was the most common infection, followed by CMV and HHV-7. No other herpesviruses were found.
HHV-6 and enterovirus confirmed as the leading cause “fever without source” in young children
A Swiss team studied 134 young children who were experiencing unidentified high fevers and were able to find at least one virus in 35% of those patients. The two biggest culprits were enterovirus (14%) and HHV-6 (11%).
Weizman Institute study reveals a comprehensive annotation of HHV-6A/B, providing a rich resource for future studies
Israeli scientists have identified hundreds of new open reading frames, generating an unbiased atlas of the HHV-6 proteome. They also identified three highly abundant long non-coding RNAs.
Differential gene expression pattern shared in herpesviruses, Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s patients
Researchers from GlaxoSmithKline found a significant overlap in differentially expressed genes shared by those with herpesvirus infections, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. On the other hand, there was no significant overlap between herpesviruses and Type 2 diabetes or Huntington’s disease.
HHV-6 DNA in bile fluid correlates with higher mortality in liver transplant patients
Persistent HHV-6 infection in the liver is hard to detect from plasma samples and liver biopsies may miss spotty infections. Bile fluid may be the best method for detecting herpesviruses that impact the liver.
HHV-6 encephalitis: Mayo clinic finds a high rate of severe hippocampal atrophy and neurological deficits
A Mayo clinic review of long-term outcome of patients with HHV-6 encephalitis showed that over 60% showed persistent sequelae associated with severe bilateral hippocampal atrophy. Symptoms included anterograde amnesia, aphasia, headaches, confusion and persistent memory deficits.
Yasuko Mori awarded Lifetime Achievement Award
Yasuko Mori, PhD, Professor of Clinical Virology at the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine was awarded the HHV-6 Foundation’s Dharam Ablashi Lifetime Achievement Award at the 11th International Conference on HHV-6 & 7.