Transplacental congenital human herpesvirus 6 infection caused by maternal chromosomally integrated virus.
Congenital human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection results from germline passage of chromosomally integrated HHV-6 (CI-HHV-6) and from transplacental passage of maternal HHV-6 infection. We aimed to determine whether CI-HHV-6 could replicate and cause transplacentally acquired HHV-6 infection. HHV-6 DNA, variant type, and viral loads were determined with samples (cord blood, peripheral blood, saliva, urine, and hair) obtained from 6 infants with transplacentally acquired HHV-6 and with samples of their parents' hair. No fathers but all mothers of infants with transplacentally acquired HHV-6 had CI-HHV-6, and the mother's CI-HHV-6 variant was the same variant causing the transplacentally acquired congenital HHV-6 infection. This suggests the possibility that CI-HHV-6 replicates and may cause most, if not all, congenital HHV-6 infections.
Hall
Caroline Breese
CB
Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642, USA. caroline_hall@urmc.rochester.edu
Caserta
Mary T
MT
Schnabel
Kenneth C
KC
Shelley
Lynne M
LM
Carnahan
Jennifer A
JA
Marino
Andrea S
AS
Yoo
Christina
C
Lofthus
Geraldine K
GK
D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D019349:Roseolovirus Infections / Q000151:congenital / Q000235:genetics / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D016662:Virus Integration