Prevalence of human herpesvirus 6 antibodies and DNA in allogeneic stem cell transplant patients: two-year single centre experience.
BACKGROUND
Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) has been recognized as a potentially significant pathogen in hemopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Different clinical manifestations have been described, including fever, skin rash, bone marrow suppression, and encephalitis.


METHODS
A retrospective review of a group of 26 adult recipients of allogeneic HSCTs was conducted. Serum samples taken before transplant were examined for the presence of specific anti-HHV-6 IgM and IgG antibodies. After transplantation, quantitative real-time PCR was used to determine viral load in plasma samples from days 0-180 post-transplant.


RESULTS
HHV-6 DNA was detected in plasma samples in 8 (30%) of the 26 recipients between days 18 and 40 after transplantation. All of them developed fever of unknown origin and over 50% had graft-versus-host disease features. Three individuals from this group died during detectable HHV-6 viremia. Another two recipients showed a single positive PCR result at a later time. Infection with HHV-6 was thus confirmed in 10 (38.5%) of the 26 graft recipients.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a high frequency of detectable HHV-6 viral load in stem cell transplant recipients in Poland. Further investigation to monitor HHV-6 reactivation in graft recipients will be important to improve outcome for these patients.
Dzieciatkowski
Tomasz
T
Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. dzieciatkowski@wp.pl
Przybylski
Maciej
M
Torosian
Tigran
T
Tomaszewska
Agnieszka
A
Luczak
Mirosław
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019349:Roseolovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D019562:Viral Load
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M