Fulminant human herpesvirus six encephalitis in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected infant.
Self-limited involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) is a relatively common complication of primary infection with human herpesvirus six (HHV-6) in normal children. We describe an HIV-infected infant who developed fulminant encephalitis as a complication of HHV-6 infection. Immunohistochemical staining of CNS tissue demonstrated productive infection of all CNS cell-types. Analysis of the infected brain tissue by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed the presence of a dense HHV-6 infection in the tissue, and demonstrated that the virus present in the CNS tissue was predominantly the A variant of HHV-6. This is the first demonstration of invasive tissue disease caused by HHV-6 in an HIV-infected infant.
Knox
K K
KK
Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA.
Harrington
D P
DP
Carrigan
D R
DR
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D018792:Encephalitis, Viral / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015497:HIV-1; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral