Human Herpesvirus 6

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. 829 - 833
• Main Authors: Strausbaugh, Larry J., Caserta, Mary T., Mock, David J., Dewhurst, Stephen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 15.09.2001; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: AIDS; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Marrow Transplantation - adverse effects; Central Nervous System Infections - etiology; Children; Chronic fatigue syndrome; Emerging Infections; Encephalitis; Exanthema; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - complications; Herpesviridae; Herpesviridae Infections - epidemiology; Herpesviridae Infections - etiology; Herpesvirus 6, Human; Human herpesvirus 6; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Infections; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; T lymphocytes; Transplantation Immunology; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the nervous system; Viruses; Human; Immunopathology; Encephalitis; Opportunistic infection; Skin disease; Nervous system diseases; Reactivation; Primary infection; Herpesviridae; Exanthema subitum; Clinical form; Immune deficiency; Cerebral disorder; Infection; Virus; Herpesvirus hominis 6; Symptomatology; Viral disease; Central nervous system disease
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/322691

The development of techniques for the culture of lymphoid cells and the isolation of viruses that infect these cells led to the discovery of human herpesvirus (HHV) 6 in 1986. At the time, HHV-6 was the first new human herpesvirus to be discovered in roughly a quarter of a century, and its isolation marked the beginning of an era of discovery in herpesvirology, with the identification of HHV-7 and HHV-8 (Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus) during the following decade. Like most human herpesviruses, HHV-6 is ubiquitous and capable of establishing a lifelong, latent infection of its host. HHV-6 is particularly efficient at infecting infants and young children, and primary infection with the virus is associated with roseola infantum (exanthem subitum) and, most commonly, an undifferentiated febrile illness. Viral reactivation in the immunocompromised host has been linked to a variety of diseases, including encephalitis, and HHV-6 has been tentatively associated with multiple sclerosis. This article discusses the major properties of HHV-6, its association with human disease, and the pathobiological significance of viral reactivation.