title: The accuracy of anti-human herpesvirus 6 IgM detection in children with recent primary infection.
abstract: Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) has been shown to infect almost all children by 4 years of age. Even with a typical clinical presentation, HHV-6 infection is misdiagnosed frequently as measles or rubella. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the IgM test for detection of recent primary HHV-6 infection. The study was conducted between January, 1998 and December, 2006 at primary health care units in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sera from 185 children, in whom measles, rubella, dengue fever and parvovirus B19 infections were excluded, were studied for anti-HHV-6 IgG and IgM antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescence test. Seventy-one (38.4%) of the children had evidence of primary HHV-6 infection. Taking the IgG avidity test as the "gold standard", the following results for IgM were obtained-sensitivity: 76.1%; specificity: 87.5%; accuracy: 82.4%. This study confirmed the low accuracy of IgM detection for the diagnosis of primary HHV-6 infection.
authors.affiliation: Policlínica Comunitária do Largo da Batalha, Fundação Municipal de Saúde de Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Artimos
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Vianna
authors.forename: Marilda Mendonça
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Siqueira
authors.forename: Luiz Antonio Bastos
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Camacho
authors.forename: Sérgio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Setúbal
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Solange Artimos
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D019349:Roseolovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M