Surprisingly, the damage from HHV-6B infection often occurred in the absence of obvious neurological symptoms. Patients without HHV-6 reactivation had no reduction in volume.
Telomeric integration, excision and subsequent and transmission in people with inherited chromosomally integrated HHV-6B (iciHHV-6B)
Exploiting a hypervariable region of the HHV-6B genome, investigators achieve new insights about integration, excision, and genomic stability of iciHHV-6B
Significantly worse outcomes in critically ill hematology patients associated with HHV-6 infection.
Two reports associate detectable HHV-6 DNA in body fluids with increased risk of mortality in patients being treated for hematologic malignancies.
HHV-6 is the predominant reactivated virus, other than CMV, in post-transplant cyclophosphamide associated infections
Large, retrospective multi-institutional study of non-CMV herpesvirus infection in the HCT with cyclophosphamide prophylaxis finds higher rate of HHV-6 infection and associated higher mortality
Failure to detect iciHHV-6 leads to overtreatment in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients
Mistaking iciHHV-6 for a marked reactivation of naturally-acquired infection can lead to unnecessary diagnostic procedures and treatments, with adverse effects.
Foscarnet prophylaxis improved engraftment and survival in cord blood transplant patients
Six-month overall survival was 96% in the treated group compared to 72% in the untreated group.
In DRESS/DIHS, early treatment with high dose steroids may suppress HHV-6; late treatment may prolong viremia
High dose steroids given in the first week appears to prevent HHV-6 reactivation in DRESS/DIHS patients by suppressing T-cell activation and serum interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels. In contrast, a late start of steroid therapy resulted in a persistently high viral load for at least three weeks.
CMV & HHV-6 cause severe complications in non-transplant acute leukemia patients
Herpesvirus co-infections, particularly HHV-6 and CMV, cause severe lymphopenia, pneumonia, and an increased risk of acquiring bacterial and fungal infections in non-transplant acute leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Oral brincidofovir prophylaxis for CMV decreased incidence of HHV-6B viremia
Allogenic transplant patients who received prophylactic oral brincidofovir as part of a CMV trial had a reduced HHV-6B reactivation and lower viral loads.
Multiplex FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis assay is useful for diagnosing HHV-6 encephalitis
This multiplex qualitative test for cerebrospinal fluid helps physicians diagnose HHV-6 encephalitis quickly, but interpretation must take into account imaging, ciHHV-6 status and other markers.
New humanized mouse model mimics HHV-6B pathogenesis
Researchers led by Yasuko Mori of Kobe University in Japan have developed an animal model will be useful for studying the pathogenicity of HHV-6B in conditions such as acute GVHD and idiopathic pneumonia
Low sodium or SIADH may be an early indicator of HHV-6 encephalitis
A systematic review suggests that sodium imbalance is associated with HHV-6 encephalitis and syndrome of inappropriate diuretic hormone (SIADH) could serve as an early warning
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.
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.