Investigators from the La Jolla Institute of Immunology used high-resolution confocal microscopy to detect high levels of HHV-6 protein in the pancreatic islet cells from donors with type 1 diabetes.
HHV-6A activates microglia and increases Aβ and tau expression
HHV-6A infection of microglia cells increases inflammatory markers and Aβ and tau expression dramatically, supporting the hypothesis that plaque development in Alzheimer’s disease may be an innate immune response to pathogens
HHV-6A (but not HHV-6B) linked to increased risk of multiple sclerosis
Karolinska Institute researchers developed a novel serological assay to determine that individuals with antibodies to HHV-6A early proteins are more likely to develop MS. HHV-6A antibodies were the highest in the presence of elevated EBV antibodies, suggesting that the two viruses could jointly contribute to the development of MS.
Patients with iciHHV-6 have higher inflammatory cytokines and develop acute graft vs host disease a week earlier
Transplant patients born with chromosomally integrated HHV-6 have elevated levels of C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, both markers associated with increased risk of acute graft-versus-host disease.
A comparison of human, porcine and murine roseoloviruses
Experts in human, murine and porcine roseolovirus combined forces to write a fascinating comparative review.
Co-infections of C. trachomatis and HHV-6 in ovarian cancer: casual or causal?
C. trachomatis infection activates latent HHV-6, and HHV-6 in turn promotes persistence of C. trachomatis. Both have been reported in cases of ovarian cancer, leaving the authors to wonder if a co-infection might increase the risk for developing ovarian cancer.
New recommendations for HHV-6 encephalitis from Japan
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.