title: Human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 and HHV-7: two closely related viruses with different infection profiles in stem cell transplantation recipients.
abstract: Human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 and HHV-7 loads were evaluated retrospectively in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 78 recipients of stem cell transplantation (SCT) by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The median HHV-6 load in patients was 1357 genome equivalent copies (EqCop)/10(6) PBMC but was below the quantitation threshold in 31 immunocompetent individuals, which strongly suggests that HHV-6 reactivation occurred after SCT. The HHV-6 load was higher in patients with delayed neutrophil engraftment (P=.002) or severe graft-versus-host disease (P=.009). Moreover, the occurrence of at least 1 HHV-6-related manifestation (fever, cutaneous rash, pneumonitis, or partial myelosuppression) was statistically associated with a concomitant virus load >10(3) EqCop/10(6) PBMC (P=.007). Conversely, HHV-7 reactivation was not favored, because median HHV-7 loads were similar in patients and healthy control subjects (1053 vs. 1216 EqCop/10(6) PBMC). The kinetics of Roseolovirus loads during the posttransplantation period suggested that HHV-7 may act as a cofactor of HHV-6 reactivation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Virologie, UPRES EA 2387, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boutolleau
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: André
authors.forename: Berthe-Marie
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Imbert-Marcille
authors.forename: Noël
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Milpied
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Agut
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gautheret-Dejean
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D016199:Herpesvirus 7, Human / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019349:Roseolovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013997:Time Factors; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral