Antikörperprävalenz gegen HHV-6 in verschiedenen Altersgruppen, bei Kindern mit Exanthema subitum, anderen akuten exanthematösen Krankheiten des Kindesalters, Kawasaki-Syndrom sowie akuten Infektionen mit anderen Herpesviren und HIV

Abstract

We determined IgG antibodies against Human Herpesvirus-6 (strain Uganda 1102, M. D. Griffin, London) in the indirect immunofluorescence test in sera from 1105 persons of various age groups. Of these sera 570 were retested using HHV-6 strain St. W. (Prof. Schneweis, Bonn). We could confirm that maternal antibodies decrease between birth and six months of age and the seropositive rate rises rapidly between seven months and five years of age up to 79.5%. Between six and ten years and up to 40 years, the antibody-positive rate lies around 81.3% and 66%, respectively. To confirm the causal nature of human herpes virus type 6 (HHV-6) for exanthema subitum we could demonstrate eight seroconversions testing sera from 14 patients with roseola infantum. In addition, the virus was isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes of children during the acute fever phase in four cases in tissue culture and in six cases the virus was detected by positive hybridization. In single and some paired sera from patients with acute exanthematous diseases, rubella (n = 28), parvovirus B 19 (n = 24), measles (n = 17), mumps (n = 27), adenovirus (n = 27) and parinfluenza virus type 3 (n = 28) and in sera from patients with Kawasaki syndrome (n = 20), acute varicella-zoster- (n = 27), acute herpes simplex- (n = 18) and HIV-1 infection (n = 50), we found no HHV-6 IgM antibodies and no HHV-6 IgG antibody rises. We could only demonstrate an HHV-6 seropositive rate according to our age-prevalence study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Sero‐epidemiological investigations on human herpesvirus 6 (HHV‐6) infections using a newly developed early antigen assay

“…Although HHV-6 has been implicated as the causative agent of Exanthem subitum, sero-epidemiological studies using immunofluorescence techniques have identified other disease categories with unusually high antibody titers to this virus Krueger et al, 1988;Saxinger et al, 1988;Levine et al, 1989;Okano et al, 1989;Clark et al, 1990;Enders et al, 1990;Irving and Cunningham, 1990;Steeper et al, 1990;Ablashi et al, 1991;Levine et al, in press). The significance of the high titers to disease association in most cases remains obscure.…”

“…Results from sero-epidemiological studies have indicated that initial exposure to this virus occurs at a very young age (Knowles and Gardner, 1988;Okuno et al, 1989;Enders et al, 1990). As with other herpesviruses, the virus remains in the exposed individual for life in a latent state following primary infection.…”

Classification of HHV-6A and HHV-6B as distinct viruses

“…In the USA, UK and Japan, 97–100 % of primary infections by these two viruses are caused by HHV-6B and occur between the ages of 6 and 12 months [43, 51, 125, 130, 134]. Less is known about the epidemiology of HHV-6A infection.…”

Update on Human Herpesvirus 6 Biology, Clinical Features, and Therapy

“…HHV-6 is generally acquired between 6 and 15 months of age (120,316), and the incubation period is 1 to 2 weeks. Primary HHV-6 infection accounts for 20% of all cases of acute fever in children between 6 and 12 months old (154) and is almost exclusively caused by HHV-6B, not HHV-6A (101,356).…”