JCM Accepts, published online ahead of print on 17 October 2007

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tavakoli, N. P. Articles by Dupuis, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Tavakoli, N. P. Articles by Dupuis, M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J. Clin. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/JCM.01692-07
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Detection and typing of human herpes virus 6 by molecular methods, in specimens from patients diagnosed with encephalitis/meningitis

Norma P. Tavakoli^*, Seela Nattanmai, Rene Hull, Heather Fusco, Lela Dzigua, Heng Wang, and Michelle Dupuis

Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany NY, and School of Public Health, SUNY Albany, Albany, NY

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: norma.tavakoli{at}wadsworth.org.

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) was detected in specimens from patients hospitalized with symptoms of encephalitis or meningitis. A real-time PCR assay was developed which has a linear dynamic range of 5 to 5 x 10⁶ copies of HHV-6 and a sensitivity of 5 gene copies per reaction. While the assay detects both subtypes HHV-6A and HHV-6B, it is specific and does not cross-react with a selected specificity panel. A total of 1,482 patient specimens, which were collected between 2003 and 2007, were tested; 26 specimens from 24 patients were found to be positive by real-time PCR for HHV-6. The HHV-6 detection rate in this population was therefore 1.75%. The majority of the specimens tested (>95%) were cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens. We were able to type 20 of the 26 positive specimens by conventional PCR and sequence analysis; all were HHV-6B. 42% of the patients were 3 years of age, which may indicate a primary infection in these patients. Given the ages of the remaining patients (from 4 to 81), their infections were most probably due to virus reactivation. Where information was available, symptoms of patients included fever (71%), altered mental status (67%), and, abnormal CSF profile (75%). 50% of patients 3 years of age suffered from seizures. The detection of HHV-6 in specimens from patients diagnosed with encephalitis or meningitis, in the absence of a positive PCR result for other agents, strongly suggests a role for HHV-6 in pathogenesis of these central nervous system diseases.