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Characteristics and Acquisition of Human Herpesvirus (HHV)–7 Infections in Relation to Infection with HHV‐6

2006; Oxford University Press; Volume: 193; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/503434

1537-6613

Caroline Breese Hall, Mary T. Caserta, Kenneth C. Schnabel, Michael P. McDermott, Geraldine K. Lofthus, Jennifer Carnahan, Lynne M. Gilbert, Stephen Dewhurst,

Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments

Although both human herpesvirus (HHV) 6 and HHV-7 infections are ubiquitous during childhood, few acute HHV-7 infections are identified. It is unknown whether HHV-7 viremia indicates primary infection, as with HHV-6, or reactivation, and if these differ clinically. We studied, in otherwise healthy children ⩽10 years old, HHV-7 and HHV-6 infections and their interaction by serologic assessment, viral isolation, and polymerase chain reaction. In children ⩽24 months of age, HHV-7 infections occurred less often than HHV-6 infections (P⩽.002). Of 2806 samples from 2365 children ⩽10 years old, 30 (1%) showed evidence of HHV-7 viremia; 23 (77%) of these were primary and 7 (23%) were reactivated HHV-7 infections. Four (13%) showed concurrent HHV-6 viremia, 2 associated with primary HHV-7 infections. The clinical manifestations of primary and reactivated HHV-7 infections were similar, except that seizures occurred more frequently in reactivated infections. These findings, previously unrecognized in otherwise healthy children, suggest that HHV-7 viremia could represent primary or reactivated infection and may be affected by the interaction between HHV-6 and HHV-7