Tissue distribution and variant characterization of human herpesvirus (HHV)-6: increased prevalence of HHV-6A in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 has been associated with the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) on the basis of serologic, molecular, and histopathologic studies. This study sought to determine the distribution of HHV-6 in different MS body fluids, including serum, saliva, urine, and peripheral blood lymphocytes. The study results extend the observation of an increased frequency of HHV-6 DNA in serum of patients with MS to the unique detection of viral sequences in urine of a subset of patients with MS. Moreover, the HHV-6 identified in these cell-free compartments was predominantly the HHV-6A variant, which has been reported to be neurotropic. These results support the hypothesis that HHV-6 may contribute to the MS disease process.
Akhyani
N
N
Viral Immunology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Berti
R
R
Brennan
M B
MB
Soldan
S S
SS
Eaton
J M
JM
McFarland
H F
HF
Jacobson
S
S
D000328:Adult; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000821:virology*
D004279:DNA, Viral