title: Human herpesvirus 6 and central nervous system disease in hematopoietic cell transplantation.
abstract: Human herpesvirus 6 infects virtually all children within the first few years of life and like other herpesviruses, establishes latency after primary infection. In immunocompromised hosts, especially hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients, HHV-6 has been demonstrated to reactivate frequently. This reactivation has been associated with a number of different clinical endpoints in HCT recipients, including central nervous system (CNS) disease. There have been many detailed descriptions of individual patients with HHV-6-associated encephalitis. In addition, longitudinal observational studies have established a correlation between systemic HHV-6 reactivation and CNS dysfunction. Further research is needed to define optimal diagnostic, prevention, and treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. zerr@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Danielle M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Zerr
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D020805:Central Nervous System Viral Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D018792:Encephalitis, Viral / Q000821:virology; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019349:Roseolovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D014180:Transplantation; D014775:Virus Activation