Human herpesvirus 6 in oral fluids from healthy individuals.
BACKGROUND
Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) is the etiologic agent of exanthem subitum. The virus is latent in salivary glands and saliva is the main form of viral transmission. The objective of this study was to assess HHV6 incidence in the fluids from healthy individuals using a standardised technique for collecting and extracting viral DNA from gingival crevicular fluid, whole saliva and parotid gland saliva.


METHODS
Samples of oral fluids and peripheral blood were collected from 28 blood donors and HHV6 was detected using PCR assay. Parotid gland saliva and gingival crevicular fluid were collected by endodontic paper cones in order to not contaminate these fluids with whole saliva.


RESULTS
Of the 28 donors, 20 (71.4%) presented positive results in at least one of the three oral fluids researched. Whole saliva was positive in 19 (67.8%) volunteers, while only four (14.2%) samples of gingival crevicular fluid and four of parotid gland saliva proved to be positive.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that HHV6 is present in the saliva of a large proportion of the healthy adult population. The use of endodontic paper cones for oral fluid collection and viral extraction was efficient, simple, cheap and painless. In spite of, the small number of cases studied it was possible to demonstrate that neither gingival crevicular fluid nor parotid gland saliva were the principal source of HHV6 in whole saliva.
Oral Semiology and Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, State University of Campinas, Caixa Postal 52, CEP 13414-900 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
Cláudio Maranhão
CM
Pereira
Patrícia Freire
PF
Gasparetto
Maria Elvira Pizzigatti
ME
Corrêa
Fernando Ferreira
FF
Costa
Oslei Paes
OP
de Almeida
Maria Lourdes
ML
Barjas-Castro
D000328:Adult; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D005883:Gingival Crevicular Fluid / Q000821:virology*; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000821:virology; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology*
D004279:DNA, Viral