Cytokines IL-4, IL-8 and IL-10 correlated with graft rejection and were elevated in HHV-6+ patients.
Coinfection of CMV and HHV-6A boosts fibrosis-associated microRNAs in fibroblasts
Investigators see possible links to systemic sclerosis, liver fibrosis and cardiovascular remodeling.
Seronegative pediatric liver transplant patients frequently acquire clinically significant HHV-6 infections from the donor liver or accompanying leucocytes
HHV-6 seronegativity pre-transplantation predicts HHV-6 viremia post-transplantation
Breakthrough reactivation of HHV-6 occurs with liver transplantation in spite of valganciclovir preemptive therapy for CMV
High-grade HHV-6 viremia is independently associated with rejection of liver transplants within 12 months
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.
High rate of HHV-6 end-organ disease and mortality in pediatric transplant patients
Stanford investigators found that high levels of HHV-6 viremia following allogeneic stem cell transplants were associated end organ disease and greater non-relapse mortality.
HHV-6 acute liver failure in an immunocompetent child: case report
HHV-6 is rarely identified as the cause of liver dysfunction in immunocompetent children, in part because HHV-6 is not included in routine testing, and HHV-6 infections can be highly localized to the liver. In this case, an alert team in Arizona identified HHV-6 by needle biopsy.
Review of HHV-6 in Liver Transplantation
HHV-6 infections in the liver transplant patients can’t be diagnosed in the blood. Ganciclovir prophylaxis for CMV cuts the rate of HHV-6 reactivation from 39% to 11%.
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.
Drug-induced liver injury and HHV-6 reactivation without rash or fever
Another case of drug induced liver injury accompanied by HHV-6 reactivation has been reported in Japan, the second such case without exanthema to be described. An earlier case was reported last year (Fujita 2015). The authors suggest that drug-induced liver injury cases be investigated for HHV-6 reactivation when liver dysfunction begins several weeks after the initiation of a new drug typically associated with hypersensitivity syndromes.
HHV-6 as a cause of liver failure in an immunocompetent patient with hypersensitivity
A group from University of Chicago Medicine urged physicians to consider testing for HHV-6 in cases of unexplained liver failure in immunocompetent patients, especially those with skin rash and upper respiratory symptoms, citing evidence from past studies as well as their own recent case experience.
HHV-6B: an underappreciated cause of hepatitis in HCT
New article describes acute HHV-6B hepatitis in an HCT recipient and reviews the current literature
Acute hepatitis associated with HHV-6 infection in liver transplant patients
French study suggests HHV-6 is a pathological cause of confluent necrosis.
HHV-6 in the liver associated with decreased graft survival
Researchers from the University of Hannover have found a significant association between HHV-6 and decreased graft survival in liver transplant patients.