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

Abstract

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.

Human Herpes Virus-6 (HHV-6) infectious encephalitis in an immunocompetent adult

“…A literature search was completed on PubMed of HHV-6 encephalitis seen in immunocompetent adults can be seen in Table 1 with 15 cases being found in our search [4] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] . Seizures were present in 2/3rds of the cases with most patients being treated with acyclovir or ganciclovir.…”

HHV-6 Meningoencephalitis in a Healthy Adult Female

“…Given the relatively low prevalence of HHV-6 meningoencephalitis, a definitive treatment strategy has not been established [ 5 ]. Multiple prior case reports emphasize the use of standard supportive care measures and inpatient hospitalization for monitoring.…”