A Rare Case of HHV-6 Encephalitis in an Immunocompetent Host: Case Report and Literature Review

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is a virus known for causing the highly contagious infection, roseola infantum, and has been associated with causing encephalitis in pediatric patients and less commonly in adult patients as well. Regardless of the patient's age, the primary HHV-6 infection could be...

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Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 14; no. 3; p. e23007
Main Authors Mekheal, Erinie, Tagliaferri, Ariana R, Vasquez, Kevin S, Pjetergjoka, Rovena, Lobue, Gabrielle, Townsend, David, Leou, Konstantinos, Singhal, Monisha
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Cureus Inc 09.03.2022
Cureus
Subjects
Analgesics
Antiviral drugs
Blood tests
Case reports
Convulsions & seizures
Creatinine
Density
Disease
Encephalitis
Glucose
Immunocompetence
Infections
Infectious Disease
Internal Medicine
Laboratories
Meningitis
Metabolism
Neurology
Pediatrics
Polymerase chain reaction
Rhabdomyolysis
Stem cell transplantation
Tetrahydrocannabinol
THC
Transplants & implants
Urinalysis
Urine
Viral infections
temporal lobe epilepsy
meningoencephalitis
encephalitis
immunocompetent adult
human herpesvirus-6 (hhv-6)
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Summary:Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is a virus known for causing the highly contagious infection, roseola infantum, and has been associated with causing encephalitis in pediatric patients and less commonly in adult patients as well. Regardless of the patient's age, the primary HHV-6 infection could be complicated by neurological sequelae including encephalitis, acute encephalopathy with biphasic seizures syndrome, or demyelinating disease. HHV-6 encephalitis does occur in an adult as a primary infection or reactivation. However, immunocompromised, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients, and solid organ transplant recipients are the most affected population. Here we present a rare case of HHV-6 encephalitis in a 26-year-old healthy immunocompetent male. HHV-6 viral DNA was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid during the acute stage of the disease, and the diagnosis was confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The patient was treated with ganciclovir and had a complete response to treatment without any further complication. The pathophysiology, clinical course, and treatment in otherwise immunocompetent adult patients are also discussed.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.23007