title: Antibody status to HHV-6 in children with leukaemia.
abstract: Forty children with acute lymphoblastic (33) or myeloid leukaemia (seven) were studied for IgG and IgM antibodies and IgG avidity against human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) at the time of diagnosis, and compared with age-, sex- and season-matched children with various neurological diseases of suspected viral origin. Of the children with leukaemia, 97.5% had IgG antibodies and 40% IgM antibodies to HHV-6 compared with 92.3% and 7.7% of reference subjects (P = 0.005). A seronegative child with leukaemia seroconverted 3 weeks after the diagnosis. The avidity of IgG antibodies (based on the resistance to urea treatment) was high in all children with leukaemia. One reference child had HHV-6-specific IgG antibodies with low avidity, which together with his positive IgM indicated an acute infection. The presence of specific IgM antibodies in 40% of children with leukaemia and the high avidity of IgG suggest a reactivation or an inaproppriate primary response to HHV-6 infection. The results support the conclusion of the role of the HHV-6 infection at the onset of childhood leukaemia.
authors.affiliation: Haartman Institute, Department of Virology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: M J H
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Salonen
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Siimes
authors.forename: E-M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Salonen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vaheri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koskiniemi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005077:Exanthema Subitum / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis*; D007223:Infant; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M