Frequent shedding of human herpesvirus 6 in saliva.
We have previously reported the isolation of HHV-6 from saliva samples. Because these isolations were made in PHA-stimulated lymphocytes from healthy adults, which may occasionally contain endogenous HHV-6, it was desirable to repeat this work using cord blood lymphocytes. In this study 18 isolations of viruses provisionally characterized as HHV-6 were made from 19 saliva samples by centrifugally enhanced inoculation into PHA-stimulated cord blood lymphocytes. HHV-6 was not found in 10 pernasal aspirates, 50 endocervical swabs, or 30 male urethral swabs. It is concluded that HHV-6 is usually present in the saliva of most adults and that this affords a possible explanation of the high infection rate with this virus in young children.
Harnett
G B
GB
Virus Laboratory, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia.
Farr
T J
TJ
Pietroboni
G R
GR
Bucens
M R
MR
D000328:Adult; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D014776:Virus Cultivation / Q000379:methods