title: Epstein-Barr virus and other herpesvirus infections in Kawasaki syndrome.
abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a possible cause of Kawasaki syndrome (KS), is not pathenogenically associated with KS in Hawaii. The prevalence of EBV capsid antibody in KS patients was found not to differ significantly from that in controls, and the antibody response in those infected with EBV was the same as that in other children similarly infected. No EBV was isolated from acute-phase patients. All patients with capsid antibody at the onset of KS also had Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen antibody: 36 patients developed antibody within 3 months after onset of KS; in 10, EBV infection could have been coincidental with the disease. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) was isolated from 9 patients with KS and 10 controls. A similar number of controls and patients had antibody to human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6); one patient seroconverted. None of the herpes viruses (EBV, CMV, HHV6, varicella-zoster virus, or herpes simplex virus) plays a unique or dominant role in the etiology or pathogenesis of KS in Hawaii.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Marchette
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Melish
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kihara
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sam
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ching
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C041788:Epstein-Barr viral capsid antigen