J Clin Oncol 2017 Aug 7:JCO2017730655. Epub 2017 Aug 7.

Ifigeneia Tzannou, Anastasia Papadopoulou, Swati Naik, Kathryn Leung, Caridad A. Martinez, Carlos A. Ramos, George Carrum, Ghadir Sasa, Premal Lulla, Ayumi Watanabe, Manik Kuvalekar, Adrian P. Gee, Bambi J. Grilley, Robert A. Krance, Stephen Gottschalk, Malcolm K. Brenner, Cliona M. Rooney, Helen E. Heslop, Ann M. Leen, and Bilal Omer, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, and Houston Methodist Hospital; Meng-Fen Wu and Hao Liu, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.

Purpose Improvement of cure rates for patients treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) will require efforts to decrease treatment-related mortality from severe viral infections. Adoptively transferred virus-specific T cells (VSTs) generated from eligible, third-party donors could provide broad antiviral protection to recipients of HSCT as an immediately available off-the-shelf product. Patient and Methods We generated a bank of VSTs that recognized five common viral pathogens: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), adenovirus (AdV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), BK virus (BKV), and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). Read More

Bone Marrow Transplant 2017 Aug 7. Epub 2017 Aug 7.

Division of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

In this retrospective analysis using the Transplant Registry Unified Management Program, we identified 145 patients with human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 encephalitis among 6593 recipients. The cumulative incidences of HHV-6 encephalitis at 100 days after transplantation in all patients, recipients of bone marrow or PBSCs and recipients of cord blood were 2.3%, 1. Read More

J Clin Diagn Res 2017 Jun 1;11(6):WL01. Epub 2017 Jun 1.

Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.

Transpl Infect Dis 2017 Jul 26. Epub 2017 Jul 26.

Department of Infectious Disease, University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita, Wichita, KS, USA.

We report a case of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) encephalitis in a neutropenic patient who had undergone chemotherapy induction for acute myelogenous leukemia while on broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy. The patient displayed symptoms of confusion, amnesia, and lethargy. Diagnosis was made via polymerase chain reaction analysis of cerebrospinal fluid. Read More

Viruses 2017 Jul 24;9(7). Epub 2017 Jul 24.

College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, MDC Box 7, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.

Human herpesvirus-6A (HHV-6A) and human herpesvirus-6B (HHV-6B) are two closely related viruses that infect T-cells. Both HHV-6A and HHV-6B possess telomere-like repeats at the terminal regions of their genomes that facilitate latency by integration into the host telomeres, rather than by episome formation. In about 1% of the human population, human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6) integration into germline cells allows the viral genome to be passed down from one generation to the other; this condition is called inherited chromosomally integrated HHV-6 (iciHHV-6). Read More

J Am Acad Dermatol 2017 Jul 17. Epub 2017 Jul 17.

DISSAL Department of Dermatology, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genoa, Italy.

Background: Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an exanthematous disease associated with the endogenous systemic reactivation of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) and human herpesvirus-7 (HHV-7). Oropharyngeal lesions may be associated with the exanthema, but anecdotal evidence suggests that few dermatologists are aware of their occurrence.

Objective: Classifying oropharyngeal lesions in PR, establishing their prevalence, and assessing their possible association with different PR forms. Read More

AIDS 2017 Jul 18. Epub 2017 Jul 18.

aDepartment of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA, USA bDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, PA, USA cDepartment of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA, USA.

Design:: We evaluated the subclinical shedding of 6 different herpesviruses in antiretroviral drug-treated HIV(+) men who have sex with men (MSM), and determined how this is associated with markers of inflammation and immune activation.

Methods: We obtained blood, semen, throat washing, urine, and stool from 15 antiretroviral-treated HIV-1-infected MSM with CD4 T cell reconstitution, and 12 age-matched HIV(-) MSM from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study at 4 timepoints over 24 weeks to measure DNA levels of cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6), and HHV8. T cell activation and plasma levels of soluble markers of inflammation and activation were also measured at the corresponding timepoints. Read More

Viruses 2017 Jul 12;9(7). Epub 2017 Jul 12.

Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.

Human herpesvirus 6A and 6B, alongside some other herpesviruses, have the striking capacity to integrate into telomeres, the terminal repeated regions of chromosomes. The chromosomally integrated forms, ciHHV-6A and ciHHV-6B, are proposed to be a state of latency and it has been shown that they can both be inherited if integration occurs in the germ line. The first step in full viral reactivation must be the release of the integrated viral genome from the telomere and here we propose various models of this release involving transcription of the viral genome, replication fork collapse, and t-circle mediated release. Read More

J Gen Virol 2017 Jul 12. Epub 2017 Jul 12.

1​Department of Pediatrics, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan.

Integration of the complete human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) genome into the telomere of a chromosome has been reported in some individuals (inherited chromosomally integrated HHV-6; iciHHV-6). Since the proportion of iciHHV-6-positive individuals with integration in chromosome 22 is high in Japan, we hypothesized a founder effect. In this study, we sought to elucidate the reason for the high proportion of viral integrations into chromosome 22. Read More

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2017 Jun 28. Epub 2017 Jun 28.

Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York. Electronic address:

Recipients of ex vivo T cell-depleted (TCD) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are at risk of infection by double-stranded (ds) DNA viruses. We report rates of dsDNA viremia, end-organ disease (EOD), infection-related mortality, and overall survival (OS) in a contemporary cohort of adult TCD HCT recipients routinely monitored for cytomegalovirus (CMV), adenovirus (ADV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Healthcare utilization in the first 6 months post-HCT was compared between patients with dsDNA viremia versus no viremia. Read More

Liver Int 2017 Jun 26. Epub 2017 Jun 26.

Department of Pediatrics, Transplant Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6A and HHV-6B) can cause primary infection or reactivate from latency in liver transplant recipients, which can result in a variety of clinical syndromes, including fever, hepatitis, encephalitis and higher rates of graft dysfunction as well as indirect effects including increased risks of mortality, CMV disease, hepatitis C progression and greater fibrosis scores. Although HHV-6 infection is currently diagnosed by quantifying viral DNA in plasma or blood, biopsy to demonstrate histopathological effects of HHV-6 remains the gold standard for diagnosis of end-organ disease. HHV-6 reactivation may be restricted to the infected organ with no evidence of active infection in the blood. Read More

J Cell Physiol 2017 Jun 20. Epub 2017 Jun 20.

Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Background Infection with human herpes viruses has been suggested to contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS), while interaction between human herpes 6 (HHV6) and MS remain unclear yet. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis on the relationship of HHV6 infection and MS. Materials and Methods All related studies were collected from major databases. Read More

Transplantation 2017 Jul;101(7):e224-e225

1 Department of Dermatology, Bichat Claude Bernard Hospital, HUPNVS, Paris, Paris 7 University, France.

J Clin Virol 2017 Aug 31;93:30-36. Epub 2017 May 31.

Départment d'Hématologie Clinique, CHU de Nantes, Nantes, France; INSERM, U892, CNRS UMR 6299, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France. Electronic address:

Background: Viral infections are well-known complications after allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT).

Objectives: We compared prospectively incidences of DNAemia and active infections (AI) for five opportunistic viruses (Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), BK polyomavirus (BKPyV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Adenovirus (ADV)) and kinetics of immune reconstitution (IR) in adults receiving either double umbilical cord blood (dUCB group) or unrelated peripheral blood stem cell (uPBSC group) allo-SCT after a reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimen.

Study Design: Whole blood samples were collected at transplant, every 15days during the first 3 months and at 4, 5 and 6 months post-transplant. Read More

Blood 2017 Jun 8. Epub 2017 Jun 8.

Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States.

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) species have a unique ability to integrate into chromosomal telomeres. Mendelian inheritance via gametocyte integration results in HHV-6 in every nucleated cell. The epidemiology and clinical impact of inherited chromosomally integrated (iciHHV-6) in hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients is unclear. Read More

PLoS One 2017 1;12(6):e0178481. Epub 2017 Jun 1.

Department of Immunopathology of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.

Encephalitis is a severe neurological syndrome associated with high morbidity and mortality as well as long-term neurological sequelae. Despite being an important public health problem, very few extensive population-based studies were conducted so far in the world and none in Central Europe. Altogether 114 consecutive patients meeting the initial criteria for encephalitis were enrolled at the Warsaw Hospital for Infectious Diseases between June 2012 and July 2015. Read More

Oncotarget 2017 Jul;8(27):44533-44549

Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

U94, the latency gene of human herpesvirus 6, was found to inhibit migration, invasion and proliferation of vascular endothelial cells (ECs). Because of its potent anti-migratory activity on ECs, we tested the capability of U94 to interfere with the individual steps of the metastatic cascade. We examined the U94 biological activity on the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB 231, as a model of highly aggressive cancer cell. Read More

J Med Virol 2017 Oct 15;89(10):1830-1836. Epub 2017 Jun 15.

Department of Pediatrics, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan.

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), a member of the betaherpesvirus family, has two distinct species: HHV-6A and HHV-6B. HHV-6B real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been used to distinguish between active and latent viral infection. In this study, we developed a real-time RT-PCR assay to detect HHV-6A-specific transcripts and evaluated its reliability for analysis of clinical samples. Read More

Acta Neurol Scand 2017 May 23. Epub 2017 May 23.

Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.

Multiple sclerosis is an immune-mediated disease with an environmental component. According to a long-standing but unproven hypothesis dating to initial descriptions of multiple sclerosis (MS) at the end of the 19th century, viruses are either directly or indirectly implicated in MS pathogenesis. Whether viruses in MS are principally causal or simply contributory remains to be proven, but many viruses or viral elements-predominantly Epstein-Barr virus, human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) but also less common viruses such as Saffold and measles viruses-are associated with MS. Read More

J Card Fail 2017 Jul 15;23(7):576-577. Epub 2017 May 15.

Section of Cardiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Int J Hematol 2017 May 13. Epub 2017 May 13.

Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) encephalitis and myelitis following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is frequently life-threatening. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical significance of hyponatremia in cases of HHV-6 encephalitis/myelitis. Using an institutional database and medical records, we identified and retrospectively analyzed 16 cases of HHV-6 encephalitis and/or myelitis after allogeneic HSCT. Read More

Med Hypotheses 2017 May 6;102:41-47. Epub 2017 Mar 6.

Department of Medical Sciences, Microbiology, University of Ferrara, Italy.

Recently, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) has been implicated in cases of poor pregnancy outcomes. The ability of HHV-6 to disrupt endothelial cell functioning may inhibit the creation of an appropriate uterine environment for implantation and fetal development, resulting in infertility and pregnancy loss, among other complications. Heparin has been used to treat pregnant women who are predisposed to thrombosis, and it has also been used in some women with infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss without associated thrombotic events. Read More

J Neurol Sci 2017 Jun 6;377:112-115. Epub 2017 Apr 6.

Neurological Intensive Care Unit, Neurology Department, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Universitary Hospital La Pitié Salpêtrière-Charles Foix, and Sorbonne Universités, Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, France.

J Virol Methods 2017 Aug 2;246:112-116. Epub 2017 May 2.

Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Research Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; The Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address:

Background: HHV-6 reactivation in immunocompromised patients is common and may be associated with serious morbidity and mortality; therefore, early detection and initiation of therapy might be of benefit. Real-time PCR assays allow for early identification of HHV-6 reactivation to assist in providing a timely response. Thus, we compared the performance of an in-house developed HHV-6 quantitative PCR assay with a commercially available kit, the RealStar(®) HHV-6 PCR Kit. Read More

J Infect Dis 2017 May 2. Epub 2017 May 2.

Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA.

Parainfluenza virus (PIV) 3 infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals with no approved therapies. Our group has demonstrated the safety and efficacy of adoptively transferred virus-specific T cells for the prevention and treatment of a broad range of viral infections including BK virus, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, human herpesvirus 6 and Epstein-Barr virus. However, this approach is restricted to well-characterized viruses with known immunogenic/protective T cell target antigens, precluding extension to PIV-3. Read More

AIDS Res Ther 2017 2;14:24. Epub 2017 May 2.

Basic Medical College of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.

Background: CSF PCR is the standard diagnostic technique used in resource-rich settings to detect pathogens of the CNS infection. However, it is not currently used for routine CSF testing in China. Knowledge of CNS opportunistic infections among people living with HIV in China is limited. Read More

J Virol 2017 Jul 26;91(14). Epub 2017 Jun 26.

Division of Infectious and Immune Diseases, CHU de Québec Research Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Human herpesviruses 6A and 6B (HHV-6A/B) can integrate their genomes into the telomeres of human chromosomes using a mechanism that remains poorly understood. To achieve a better understanding of the HHV-6A/B integration mechanism, we made use of BRACO-19, a compound that stabilizes G-quadruplex secondary structures and prevents telomere elongation by the telomerase complex. First, we analyzed the folding of telomeric sequences into G-quadruplex structures and their binding to BRACO-19 using G-quadruplex-specific antibodies and surface plasmon resonance. Read More

J Virol 2017 Jul 26;91(14). Epub 2017 Jun 26.

Division of Infectious and Immune Diseases, CHU de Quebec Research Center, Quebec City, Canada

Human herpesviruses 6A/B (HHV-6A/B) can integrate their viral genomes in the telomeres of human chromosomes. The viral and cellular factors contributing to HHV-6A/B integration remain largely unknown, mostly due to the lack of efficient and reproducible cell culture models to study HHV-6A/B integration. In this study, we characterized the HHV-6A/B integration efficiencies in several human cell lines using two different approaches. Read More

Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017 Jul 26;67:91-100. Epub 2017 Apr 26.

Infection and Immunity Program and Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address:

Herpesviruses are remarkable pathogens possessing elaborate mechanisms to seize various host cellular components for immune evasion, replication, and virion egress. As viruses are dependent upon their hosts, investigating this intricate interplay has revealed that the exosome pathway is utilised by alpha (Herpes Simplex Virus 1), beta (Human Cytomegalovirus, and Human Herpesvirus 6) and gamma (Epstein-Barr Virus, and Kaposi Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus) herpesviruses. Virions and exosomes share similar properties and functions. Read More

Pediatr Transplant 2017 Aug 27;21(5). Epub 2017 Apr 27.

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Nephrology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Pediatric patients requiring kidney transplant after hematopoietic cell transplant receive multiple courses of immunosuppression placing them at risk for infection. To elucidate potential risk factors for infection, we compared the immunosuppressive regimens and infectious complications of pediatric kidney transplant recipients at a single institution who had previously undergone hematopoietic cell transplant from different donors to similar patients reported in the literature. Among the initial four post-hematopoietic cell transplant kidney transplant patients reviewed, viremia episodes were universal, including BK virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human herpesvirus-6, with one death from presumed BK virus encephalitis. Read More

Brain Behav 2017 Apr 9;7(4):e00670. Epub 2017 Mar 9.

Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTASAustralia.

Objective: Prognosis following a first demyelinating event is difficult to predict, with no genetic markers of MS progression currently identified. Myelin basic protein (MBP) is a major component of the myelin sheath of CNS neurons and may play a central role in demyelinating diseases such as MS. However, genetic variation in MBP has not been implicated in MS onset risk in large genome-wide association studies. Read More

J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2017 Apr 10. Epub 2017 Apr 10.

Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.

Context: Fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is thought to be partly caused by virus infection.

Objective: This study investigated the mechanism of β cell destruction in fulminant T1DM after drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS).

Methods: We determined the localization of viruses of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and the expression of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and viral receptors of Z DNA binding protein 1 (ZBP1) and retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I), together with inflammatory cells by immunohistochemistry of pancreas from an autopsy fulminant T1DM patient with DIHS or seven subjects with normal glucose tolerance who underwent pancreatectomy. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2017 Apr 7. Epub 2017 Apr 7.

Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address:

Background: Viral reactivations (VRs) after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) contribute to significant morbidity and mortality. Timely immune reconstitution (IR) is suggested to prevent VR.

Objectives: We studied the relation between IR (as a continuous predictor over time) and VR (as a time-varying predictor) and the relation between VR and other clinical outcomes. Read More

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2017 Jul 5;23(7):1165-1169. Epub 2017 Apr 5.

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Stem Cell Transplant and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. Electronic address:

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is curative for many pediatric malignant and nonmalignant disorders but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, including the development of pericardial effusion (PEF). We report the results of a retrospective chart review performed to assess the incidence, risk factors, and prognostic significance of PEF in pediatric HCT recipient at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital of Stanford University. A total of 119 patients undergoing HCT between January 2010 and December 2013 were selected through the hospital's Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program database. Read More

Rinsho Shinkeigaku 2017 Apr 30;57(4):174-179. Epub 2017 Mar 30.

Department of Neurology, Dokkyo Medical University.

A 26-year-old, otherwise healthy man presented with visual abnormality followed by loss of consciousness and convulsion. The patient then developed headache and fever 14 days later. Brain MRI showed hyperintensities in the left cingulate cortex. Read More

Med Mal Infect 2017 Jun 31;47(4):301-302. Epub 2017 Mar 31.

DISSAL Department of Dermatology, IRCCS AOU, San Martino-IST, Largo Rosanna Benzi, 10, 16132 Genoa, Italy. Electronic address:

Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017 May 22;486(3):706-711. Epub 2017 Mar 22.

Department of Virology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan.

Human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) causes exanthema subitum in infants and is known to be mildly pathogenic. However, HHV-6B infection can induce febrile seizures in a high percentage of patients, and in rare cases, result in encephalitis. We detected higher levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CFS) of patients with HHV-6B encephalitis when compared to those in patients with non-HHV-6B-induced febrile seizures. Read More

J Med Virol 2017 Sep 26;89(9):1636-1645. Epub 2017 Apr 26.

Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Gulf War Illness (GWI) are debilitating diseases with overlapping symptomology and there are currently no validated tests for definitive diagnosis of either syndrome. While there is evidence supporting the premise that some herpesviruses may act as possible triggers of ME/CFS, the involvement of herpesviruses in the pathophysiology of GWI has not been studied in spite of a higher prevalence of ME/CFS in these patients. We have previously demonstrated that the deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolases (dUTPase) encoded by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) possess novel functions in innate and adaptive immunity. Read More

J Virol 2017 Jun 12;91(11). Epub 2017 May 12.

Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and Center for Molecular Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden

Human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) is a neurotropic betaherpesvirus that achieves latency by integrating its genome into host cell chromosomes. Several viruses can induce epigenetic modifications in their host cells, but no study has investigated the epigenetic modifications induced by HHV-6B. This study analyzed methylation with an Illumina 450K array, comparing HHV-6B-infected and uninfected Molt-3 T cells 3 days postinfection. Read More

Front Neurol 2017 20;8:40. Epub 2017 Feb 20.

Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden.

Human herpesviruses have previously been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) but whether they are causal, facilitating, or confounding factors is yet to be established. A total of 50 AD subjects and 52 non-demented (ND) controls were analyzed in a multiplex assay for IgG reactivity toward herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). The HHV-6 IgG reactivity was significantly lower in AD subjects compared to ND controls, whereas there were no differences in HSV, VZV, or CMV antibody levels between the groups. Read More

Eur J Haematol 2017 Jun 31;98(6):635-637. Epub 2017 Mar 31.

Section of Haematology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.

Objectives: Inherited chromosomally integrated human herpesvirus-6 (ciHHV-6) is characterised by the complete HHV-6 genome integration into the host germ line genome and is vertically transmitted with a Mendelian inheritance. By now, the only relationship between ciHHV-6 and diseases seems to be with angina pectoris.

Methods: We report a case of an 82-year-old man diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) on October 2014. Read More

Blood 2017 Apr 16;129(16):2316-2325. Epub 2017 Feb 16.

Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Strategies to prevent active infection with certain double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are limited by incomplete understanding of their epidemiology and clinical impact. We retrospectively tested weekly plasma samples from allogeneic HCT recipients at our center from 2007 to 2014. We used quantitative PCR to test for cytomegalovirus, BK polyomavirus, human herpesvirus 6B, HHV-6A, adenovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus between days 0 and 100 post-HCT. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2017 Jun 12;19(3). Epub 2017 Apr 12.

Department of Hematology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido, Japan.

Background: Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) encephalitis/myelitis is now a well-known complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), particularly after cord blood transplantation (CBT). In this study, we evaluated the risk factors of HHV-6 encephalitis/myelitis.

Methods: We evaluated 253 patients who received allo-HSCT from 2007 to 2015 at our institute. Read More

J Virol 2017 May 13;91(9). Epub 2017 Apr 13.

Department of Cell Research and Immunology and S. Daniel Abraham Institute for Molecular Virology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

The eIF2α protein plays a critical role in the regulation of translation. The production of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) during viral replication can activate protein kinase R (PKR), which phosphorylates eIF2α, leading to inhibition of the initial step of translation. Many viruses have evolved gene products targeting the PKR-eIF2a pathway, indicating its importance in antiviral defense. Read More

Neurology 2017 Mar 15;88(11):1012-1020. Epub 2017 Feb 15.

From the Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) (M.S., M.P.-P., T.A., M.R.R., F.G., J.D.), University of Barcelona, Spain; University of Lausanne (UNIL) (M.S.), Switzerland; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER) (M.P.-P., T.A., M.R.R., J.D., F.G.), Madrid, Spain; Neurology Service (T.A., J.D.), Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; Neurology Division, Hospital das Clínicas (M.M.S.), São Paulo University, Brazil; Hospital de Base (F.J.C.), Brasília, Brazil; Service of Neurology (M.I.B.A.) and Service of Immunology (M.R.J.B.), University Hospital of Son Espases, Mallorca, Spain; Department of Neurology (L.B., M.G.), Children's Hospital, Boston, MA; Pediatric Neurology Section (A.F.), Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain; Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins (R.L.C.O.), Lima, Peru; Department of Neurology (M.R.R., J.D.), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Service of Neurology (F.G., J.D.), Hospital Clínic; and Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) (J.D.), Barcelona, Spain.

Objective: To report the clinical features, comorbidities, receptor subunit targets, and outcome in patients with anti-GABAA receptor (GABAAR) encephalitis.

Methods: Clinical study of 26 patients, including 17 new (April 2013-January 2016) and 9 previously reported patients. Antibodies to α1, β3, and γ2 subunits of the GABAAR were determined using reported techniques. Read More

J Virol 2017 May 13;91(9). Epub 2017 Apr 13.

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

The human roseoloviruses human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A), HHV-6B, and HHV-7 comprise the Roseolovirus genus of the human Betaherpesvirinae subfamily. Infections with these viruses have been implicated in many diseases; however, it has been challenging to establish infections with roseoloviruses as direct drivers of pathology, because they are nearly ubiquitous and display species-specific tropism. Furthermore, controlled study of infection has been hampered by the lack of experimental models, and until now, a mouse roseolovirus has not been identified. Read More

J Heart Lung Transplant 2017 Apr 6;36(4):481. Epub 2017 Jan 6.

Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.

Rev Med Interne 2017 Aug 2;38(8):531-538. Epub 2017 Feb 2.

Service de réanimation médicale, groupe hospitalier Pitié-Salpétrière, 47-83, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France.

Acute myocarditis must be considered in patients with recent onset of cardiac failure or arrhythmia. Fulminant myocarditis is a distinct entity characterized by sudden onset of severe congestive heart failure or cardiogenic shock, usually following a flu-like illness, parvovirus B19, human herpesvirus 6, coxsackie virus and adenovirus being the most frequently viruses responsible for the disease. In this setting, early recognition of patients rapidly progressing to refractory cardiac failure and their immediate transfer to a medical-surgical center experienced in mechanical circulatory support is warranted. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2017 05;64(9):1204-1210

Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Background: Systemic reactivations of herpesviruses may occur in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, even in those without prior immune deficiency. However, the clinical relevance of these events is uncertain.

Methods: In this study we selected patients admitted with septic shock and treated for more than 4 days from a prospectively enrolled cohort of consecutive adults in the mixed ICUs of 2 tertiary care hospitals in the Netherlands. Read More

Pan Afr Med J 2016 3;24:298. Epub 2016 Aug 3.

Biomolecular Research Center Pietro Annigoni Labiogene, UFR / SVT, University of Ouagadougou BP 364 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Introduction: In most developing countries, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and Herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) are not diagnosed in blood donors. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of these viruses in blood donors from the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Methods: The study included 198 blood donors of the Regional Blood Transfusion Centre of Ouagadougou. Read More