Human Herpesvirus 6 Genome and Antigen in Acute Multiple Sclerosis Lesions

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 187; no. 9; pp. 1365 - 1376
• Main Authors: Goodman, Andrew D, Mock, David J, Powers, James M, Baker, Jeffrey V, Blumberg, Benjamin M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.05.2003; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adult; Age of Onset; Antigens, Viral - analysis; Astrocytes; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsies; Brain - pathology; Brain - virology; Central Nervous System Infections - complications; Central Nervous System Infections - pathology; Central Nervous System Infections - virology; Female; Genome, Viral; glycoprotein 116; glycoprotein gp116; Herpesvirus 6, Human - genetics; Herpesvirus 6, Human - isolation & purification; Herpesvirus 6, Human - pathogenicity; Human herpesvirus 6; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Lesions; Lymphocytes; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Microglia; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis - etiology; Multiple Sclerosis - pathology; Multiple Sclerosis - virology; Neuroglia; Neurons; Oligodendroglia; Roseolovirus Infections - complications; Roseolovirus Infections - diagnosis; Roseolovirus Infections - pathology; Roseolovirus Infections - virology; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the nervous system; Viruses; Virus; Antigen; Human; Herpesvirus hominis 6; Multiple sclerosis; Pathogenesis; Herpesviridae; Acute; Central nervous system disease; Lesion; Inflammatory disease
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/368172

Evidence for a candidate multiple sclerosis (MS) virus, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), was sought in biopsy specimens of acute lesions that presented clinically as cerebral tumors obtained from 5 patients. Histopathology, magnetic resonance imaging, and clinical course confirmed the diagnosis of MS in each case. A sensitive in situ polymerase chain reaction (ISPCR) method was used to detect HHV-6 genome, in conjunction with immunocytochemical staining (ICC) to detect viral and cellular antigens. ISPCR revealed numerous oligodendrocytes, lymphocytes, and microglia containing HHV-6 genome within all lesions, whereas ICC showed only the HHV-6 glycoprotein 116 antigen in some reactive astrocytes and microglia. High frequencies of neuroglial and inflammatory cells containing HHV-6 genome were present in acute-phase lesion tissue from patients who were free of the effects of chronic MS and had not been received immunomodulatory therapy for MS. The prevalence of HHV-6 genome-containing cells, including oligodendrocytes, in each lesion suggests that HHV-6 plays a role in the demyelinative pathogenesis of MS; the significance of the discrepant expression of viral antigens remains uncertain