title: Direct sequence analysis of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) sequences from infants and comparison of HHV-6 sequences from mother/infant pairs.
abstract: Direct sequence analysis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified DNA fragments from the large tegument protein (LTP) gene of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) was performed with use of uncultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from four mother/infant pairs. In two cases, LTP gene sequences were identical in paired mother/infant specimens, thus suggesting that mother-to-infant transmission of HHV-6 may have occurred. The genetic stability of HHV-6 strains was confirmed by the fact that there was no difference between amplified DNA fragments from sequential PBMC samples from two of two infants analyzed. In contrast, a change in the amplified viral strain was detected in an infant who had reinfection with HHV-6 variant B (HHV-6B). Furthermore, HHV-6B strains concurrently amplified from saliva and PBMCs from an adult were found to be different. The data suggest that HHV-6 may be frequently transmitted from mother-to-infant and that reinfection with HHV-6B may occur.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York 14642, USA.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: van Loon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gummuluru
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sherwood
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marentes
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dewhurst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins