title: Human herpesvirus-6 in patients with Crohn's disease.
abstract: Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) infections are usually asymptomatic reactivations in immunocompetent persons, but may be severe in immunocompromised individuals. Although primary HHV-6 infection is mainly associated with roseola infantum, it has also been associated with gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and nausea in children. In this study, we investigated the potential role of HHV-6 in Crohn's disease (CD). Evidence of HHV-6 infection in CD patients and controls was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Fifty-one tissue blocks from 23 CD patients and 20 tissue blocks from 20 controls were examined. Quantitativereal-time PCR was used to assess HHV-6 viral loads. IHC, PCR and qPCR indicated the presence of HHV-6 in both CD patients and controls. Immunohistochemistry of tissues revealed an almost equal frequency and distribution of positive cells; however, non-specific immunostaining confounded interpretation. HHV-6 DNA was detected in 52% (12/23) of CD and 55% (11/20) of control patients by PCR and in 69.5% (16/23) of CD cases and 65% (13/20) of controls by qPCR. Mean viral load in intestinal tissues was similar in CD and controls (33.4 and 57.9 copies microg(-1) DNA, respectively). Finding equal evidence of HHV-6 in patients and controls by multiple methods suggests that this virus is ubiquitous and probably not a cause of CD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs-Mansfield, CT, USA. RSura@dow.com
authors.forename: Radhakrishna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sura
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gavrilov
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Flamand
authors.forename: Dharam
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ablashi
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cartun
authors.forename: Jean-Frédéric
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Colombel
authors.forename: Herbert J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Van Kruiningen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019349:Roseolovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins