Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Neurology 2022 Aug 10. Epub 2022 Aug 10.

Department of Pediatrics, Leuven University Hospitals, Leuven, Belgium.

Encephalitis and encephalopathy in children represent a diagnostic challenge. We describe a patient with relapsing encephalitis in whom the differential diagnosis included acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) encephalitis, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Because of its rarity, HLH is often overlooked as a differential diagnosis in encephalitis, especially in the isolated central nervous system (CNS) forms. Read More

Epilepsia Open 2022 Aug 2. Epub 2022 Aug 2.

Department of Pediatrics, Aichi Medical University, Aichi, Japan.

We performed virological analysis of resected brain tissues from a patient with temporal lobe epilepsy associated with mesial temporal sclerosis after febrile status epilepticus caused by human herpesvirus 6 infection. The patient had febrile status epilepticus at 9 months of age associated with human herpesvirus 6 infection. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed reduced water diffusion in the right temporal lobe and hippocampus. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 13;13:847106. Epub 2022 Jul 13.

Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States.

Within the family , sub-family , and genus , there are only three human herpesviruses that have been described: HHV-6A, HHV-6B, and HHV-7. Initially, HHV-6A and HHV-6B were considered as two variants of the same virus (i.e. Read More

Cureus 2022 Jun 27;14(6):e26374. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Department of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, National Hospital Organization Yokohama Medical Center, Yokohama City, JPN.

Drug hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS) generally starts two weeks to two months after administration of certain drugs. Olanzapine has been reported to cause drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), but rarely causes drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS). A 49-year-old schizophrenic man was hospitalized for pneumonia and developed DIHS/DRESS 10 days after starting olanzapine. Read More

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022 14;13:938633. Epub 2022 Jul 14.

Department of Pediatric Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

Introduction: Evidence points to viral infections as possible triggers of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), but little is known about the prevalence of common viruses in the thyroid gland. Using a novel approach based on virus enrichment in multiple cell lines followed by detection of the viral genome and visualization of viral proteins, we investigated the presence of multiple human viruses in thyroid tissue from AITD patients and controls.

Methods: Thyroid tissue was collected by core needle biopsy or during thyroid surgery from 35 patients with AITD (20 Graves' disease and 15 Hashimoto's thyroiditis). Read More

PLoS One 2022 29;17(7):e0271758. Epub 2022 Jul 29.

Laboratório de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Virologia, Instituto Oswaldo cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

Introduction: A wide variety of viruses can cause rash diseases (RDs) or acute febrile illness (AFIs) in children, adolescents and adults; however, approximately 19% of RD cases and 40% of AFI cases remain without a defined etiology. Parvovirus B19 (B19V) and herpesvirus infection can also cause RD and/or AFI, and in some risk groups, these infections can become persistent (or latent) and may require hospital treatment. Since these infections do not have mandatory reporting, they can be hidden by other diseases, such as those caused by arboviruses (e. Read More

Open Forum Infect Dis 2022 Jul 17;9(7):ofac229. Epub 2022 May 17.

Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana.

The prevalence and clinical relevance of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) detection in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in patients with suspected meningoencephalitis in high human immunodeficiency virus-prevalence African settings are not known. We describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of 13 patients with HHV-6 CSF PCR positivity in Botswana. Read More

Am J Hematol 2022 Jul 8. Epub 2022 Jul 8.

Centre for Haematology, St Mary's Hospital Campus of Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, London, UK.

Cureus 2022 Jun 3;14(6):e25629. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, USA.

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is a ubiquitous beta herpes virus which can result in meningitis/ meningoencephalitis in humans. FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis panel (BioFire Diagnostics, Salt Lake City, UT) is employed in medical centers for the establishment of a central nervous system (CNS) infection, and HHV-6 is often positive. However, establishing HHV-6 as a cause of meningitis or encephalitis is difficult at the present time, as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test alone does not establish the etiology of the CNS infection. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2022 Jul 1;101(26):e29772. Epub 2022 Jul 1.

Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, PR China.

Background: Viral infection is the most common cause of aseptic meningitis. The purpose of this study was to identify the viruses responsible for aseptic meningitis to better understand the clinical presentations of this disease.

Method: Between March 2009 and February 2010, we collected 297 cerebrospinal fluid specimens from children with aseptic meningitis admitted to a pediatric hospital in Yunnan (China). Read More

Aging Clin Exp Res 2022 Jun 29. Epub 2022 Jun 29.

Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Shenzhen Medical Key Discipline of Health Toxicology (2020-2024), Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No 8 Longyuan Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.

Aim: Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is neurophilic, and its relationship with Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains controversial. This study aimed to examine the relationships between HHV-6 and cognitive abilities in elderly people aged 60 years or above from communities in Shenzhen.

Methods: We recruited participants from 10 community health service centers in Shenzhen. Read More

Transplant Cell Ther 2022 Jun 25. Epub 2022 Jun 25.

Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.

Conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) are immunosuppressive and increase the risk for reactivation of and infection with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses, which contribute to morbidity and mortality after allo-HCT. This retrospective observational study evaluated the association of dsDNA viral infections with clinical outcomes, health resource utilization (HRU), and health care reimbursement after allo-HCT. Patients who underwent allo-HCT between 2012 and 2017 were identified from a US open-source claims database (Decision Resource Group Real-World Evidence Data Repository; n = 13,363) and categorized according to the presence or absence of dsDNA viral infection, defined as having ≥1 diagnosis code for cytomegalovirus (CMV), adenovirus (AdV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), or BK virus (BKV)/Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)/John Cunningham virus (JCV) (grouped together given a lack of specific diagnoses codes) within 1 year after allo-HCT. Read More

J Clin Med 2022 May 29;11(11). Epub 2022 May 29.

Department of Dermatology and Skin Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder generally affecting older adults, is the most common form of dementia worldwide. The disease is marked by severe cognitive and psychiatric decline and has dramatic personal and social consequences. Considerable time and resources are dedicated to the pursuit of a better understanding of disease mechanisms; however, the ultimate goal of obtaining a viable treatment option remains elusive. Read More

Virol J 2022 06 8;19(1):101. Epub 2022 Jun 8.

Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Background: Certain clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mimic those associated with human herpesvirus (HHV) infection. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of herpesvirus in patients with COVID-19 and determined if coinfection is associated with poorer outcomes and neurological symptoms.

Methods: We analyzed samples of 53 patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Read More

Microbiol Immunol 2022 Aug 29;66(8):379-385. Epub 2022 Jun 29.

Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Siences, Tehran, Iran.

Human herpes viruses (HHVs) are among the most common infectious agents detected in the gastrointestinal tract that might be involved in oncogenesis and other gastrointestinal disorders. Although the link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and gastric cancer (GC) has been established, the role of the viruses in various stomach diseases remains unknown. The frequencies and viral copy number of EBV, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) among 50 gastric cancer tumors and 105 chronic gastritis tissues were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Read More

Annu Rev Virol 2022 Jun 7. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and Structural Biology, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA; email:

Herpesviruses are ancient large DNA viruses that have exploited gene capture as part of their strategy to escape immune surveillance, promote virus spreading, or reprogram host cells to benefit their survival. Most acquired genes are transmembrane proteins and cytokines, such as viral G protein-coupled receptors (vGPCRs), chemokines, and chemokine-binding proteins. This review focuses on the vGPCRs encoded by the human β- and γ-herpesviruses. Read More

Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2022 Jun 31;78:103897. Epub 2022 May 31.

Department of Neurology, Larkin Community Hospital Palm Springs Campus, Hialeah, FL, United States.

Introduction: Vero Cell, AstraZeneca, Janssen, mRNA-1273 (Moderna), and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for emergency use in Nepal. These vacines have been linked to some adverse effects, including fever, myalgia, and headache. Furthermore Bell's Palsy a rare adverse effect was also reported to be associated with the use of mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine in some patients. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 9;13:880016. Epub 2022 May 9.

Department of Medicine E, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel.

Background: Autoimmune neutropenia (AIN) is divided into primary and secondary forms. The former is more prevalent in children and is usually a self-limiting disease. Secondary AIN is more common in adults and often occurs in the setting of another autoimmune disorder or secondary to infections, malignancies or medications. Read More

Cureus 2022 Apr 20;14(4):e24319. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

Neurology, Vidant Medical Center/East Carolina University, Greenville, USA.

We present the case of a 26-year-old male who was found to have human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) in his cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during acute presentation of multiple sclerosis (MS). Paresthesia of the lower extremities was his only symptom during the initial presentation, and workup for MS was not included during this evaluation. A single dose of IV steroids failed to improve his condition, and symptoms became more severe. Read More

Microbiol Spectr 2022 06 23;10(3):e0236921. Epub 2022 May 23.

Riga Stradins University, Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Riga, Latvia.

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) contains two genes (U12 and U51) that encode putative homologues of human G-protein-coupled receptors like CCR1, CCR3, and CCR5. It has been shown that these viral proteins can be expressed on the surface of epithelial and some peripheral blood mononuclear cells, suggesting that they could potentially induce autoimmunity. We aimed to investigate the possibility of HHV-6 encoded viral chemokine receptors (U12 and U51) involvement in autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) development by detecting viral peptide specific antibodies in AIT patient samples. Read More

J Mol Diagn 2022 05 22;24(5):476-484. Epub 2022 Feb 22.

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington; Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington. Electronic address:

Sequencing of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a promising milieu for broad-based cancer and infectious disease diagnostics. The performance of cfDNA sequencing for infectious disease diagnostics is chiefly limited by inadequate analytical sensitivity. The current study investigated whether the analytical sensitivity of cfDNA sequencing for viral diagnostics could be improved by selective sequencing of short cfDNA fragments, given prior observations of shorter fragment size distribution in microbial and cytomegalovirus-derived cfDNA compared with human-derived cfDNA. Read More

J Med Virol 2022 Sep 19;94(9):4069-4070. Epub 2022 May 19.

Department of Medical Specialities, Dermatology Unit, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.

Diabetologia 2022 Aug 11;65(8):1328-1338. Epub 2022 May 11.

Institute of Medical Information Sciences, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.

Aims/hypothesis: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide, and previous studies have suggested that it is higher in individuals who are seropositive for herpesviruses. This study examines the prospective association of herpesviruses with (pre)diabetes to evaluate their potential role in diabetes aetiology.

Methods: Two follow-up examinations of the German population-based KORA cohort (F4 and FF4) were used to identify participants with normal glucose tolerance at baseline, thus being at risk for (pre)diabetes (n = 1257). Read More

Int J Cardiol 2022 Aug 6;360:1-4. Epub 2022 May 6.

Robert-Bosch-Krankenhaus, Department of Cardiology and Angiology, 70376 Stuttgart, Germany.

Background: Coronary spasm has been suggested to be the underlying mechanism of chest pain in patients with myocarditis and unobstructed coronary arteries. Here we sought to investigate a potential association between virus type and coronary spasm endotype in patients with biopsy-proven viral myocarditis.

Methods: A total of 618 consecutive patients with unobstructed coronary arteries who underwent endomyocardial biopsy between 2008 and 2018 were screened. Read More

J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2022 Jul 29;31(7):106509. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address:

Objectives: Although the association between genetic factors, such as RNF213 mutations, and moyamoya disease (MMD) has been well investigated, environmental factors are largely undetermined. Thus, we aimed to examine whether viral infection increases the risk of MMD.

Materials And Methods: To eliminate the effect of presence or absence of the RNF213 p. Read More

J Med Virol 2022 Sep 11;94(9):4470-4477. Epub 2022 May 11.

Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.

Adenoids and tonsils have gained interest as a new in vivo model to study local immune functions and virus reservoirs. Especially herpesviruses are interesting because their prevalence and persistence in local lymphoid tissue are incompletely known. Our aim was to study herpesvirus and common respiratory virus infections in nonacutely ill adenotonsillar surgery patients. Read More

JCI Insight 2022 06 8;7(11). Epub 2022 Jun 8.

Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic, debilitating, multisystem illness of unknown etiology for which no cure and no diagnostic tests are available. Despite increasing evidence implicating EBV and human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) as potential causative infectious agents in a subset of patients with ME/CFS, few mechanistic studies address a causal relationship. In this study we examined a large ME/CFS cohort and controls and demonstrated a significant increase in activin A and IL-21 serum levels, which correlated with seropositivity for antibodies against the EBV and HHV-6 protein deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPases) but no increase in CXCL13. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 4;13:864898. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Immunology and Microbiology Graduate Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.

Human roseolovirus U20 and U21 are type I membrane glycoproteins that have been implicated in immune evasion by interfering with recognition of classical and non-classical MHC proteins. U20 and U21 are predicted to be type I glycoproteins with extracytosolic immunoglobulin-like domains, but detailed structural information is lacking. AlphaFold and RoseTTAfold are next generation machine-learning-based prediction engines that recently have revolutionized the field of computational three-dimensional protein structure prediction. Read More

Cureus 2022 Mar 9;14(3):e23007. Epub 2022 Mar 9.

Internal Medicine, St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, Paterson, USA.

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is a virus known for causing the highly contagious infection, roseola infantum, and has been associated with causing encephalitis in pediatric patients and less commonly in adult patients as well. Regardless of the patient's age, the primary HHV-6 infection could be complicated by neurological sequelae including encephalitis, acute encephalopathy with biphasic seizures syndrome, or demyelinating disease. HHV-6 encephalitis does occur in an adult as a primary infection or reactivation. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2022 Jun 8;24(3):e13836. Epub 2022 May 8.

Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Introduction: Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) can reactivate after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

Methods: The epidemiology of HHV-6 infections and their impact on outcome after allo-HSCT were retrospectively analyzed in 689 adult allo-HSCT recipients (January 2015-December 2018). Chromosomal integration of HHV-6 (ciHHV-6) in the donor was retrospectively investigated to critically evaluate antiviral treatment strategies. Read More