title: Absence of human herpesvirus 6B detection in association with illness in children undergoing cancer chemotherapy.
abstract: The lymphotropic herpesviruses, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) can reactivate and cause disease in organ transplant recipients; the contributions of HHV-6A and HHV-7 to disease are less certain. Less is known about their pathogenic roles in children undergoing treatment for malignancies. Children with newly diagnosed cancer were followed for 24 months. Clinical information and blood samples were collected during routine visits and during acute visits for fever or possible viral infections. Lymphotropic herpesvirus DNA in blood was measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Although HHV-6B DNA was detected at least once in about half of the patients; the other viruses were seldom detected. There was no association between HHV-6B detection and individual acute clinical events, however, HHV-6B detection was more common in children who experienced more frequent acute clinical events. In children being treated for various malignancies, HHV-6B detection was common, but was not associated with individual events of acute illness. Thus, if HHV-6B is not assessed longitudinally, clinical events may be misattributed to the virus. The elevated frequency of detection of HHV-6B in sicker children is consistent with prior reports of its detection during apparently unrelated acute clinical events. J. Med. Virol. 88:1427-1437, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldfarb
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Nirica
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Laura K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Gowans
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kohn
authors.affiliation: Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Worley
authors.affiliation: Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yen-Lieberman
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lach
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Danziger-Isakov
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yee-Guardino
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Unit, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trunick
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Philip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Pellett
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004358:Drug Therapy; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016199:Herpesvirus 7, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019349:Roseolovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral
keywords: betaherpesvirus; cancer; etiologic association; longitudinal cohort study; lymphotropic herpesviruses