Register for email alerts and news feeds:
This journal | BMJ Group
rss
Archives of Disease in Childhood 1997;77:42-45; doi:10.1136/adc.77.1.42
Copyright © 1997 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Arch Dis Child 1997;77:42-45 ( July )

Diagnosis of primary human herpesvirus 6 and 7 infections in febrile infants by polymerase chain reaction

Duncan A Clark,a I Michael Kidd,a Kathryn E Collingham,b Michael Tarlow,c Titi Ayeni,d Andrew Riordan,d Paul D Griffiths,a Vincent C Emery,a Deenan Pillayb

a Department of Virology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, b Regional Virus Laboratory, Public Health Laboratory, Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, c Department of Infection, University of Birmingham, d Department of Paediatrics, Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham

Correspondence to: Dr Vincent C Emery, Department of Virology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, Rowland Hill Street, Hampstead, London NW3 2PF.

Accepted 16 April 1997

Primary human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and 7 (HHV-7) infections were identified in febrile children by qualitative and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Diagnosis was based on the differential detection of viral DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), but not in saliva. Six of 41 febrile infants, but none of seven non-febrile controls, were identified with primary infections (three HHV-6, three HHV-7). These children had significantly higher viral loads in PBMC (HHV-6, median 24 213 genomes/106 PBMC; HHV-7, median 6 040 000 genomes/106 PBMC) than DNA-aemic, saliva PCR positive children (HHV-6, median 1606 genomes/106 PBMC, p < 0.01; HHV-7, median 7089 genomes/106 PBMC, p < 0.05). Viral DNA was detected in serum by PCR in only 50% of primary infections. All three children with primary HHV-7 infection had febrile convulsions. Thus PCR, including quantitative assays, may identify primary HHV-6 and HHV-7 infections when an appropriate combination of clinical specimens is used.

Keywords: HHV-6; HHV-7; febrile convulsions; polymerase chain reaction

© 1997 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Dockrell, D.H. (2003). Human herpesvirus 6: molecular biology and clinical features. J Med Microbiol 52: 5-18 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sashihara, J., Tanaka-Taya, K., Tanaka, S., Amo, K., Miyagawa, H., Hosoi, G., Taniguchi, T., Fukui, T., Kasuga, N., Aono, T., Sako, M., Hara, J., Yamanishi, K., Okada, S. (2002). High incidence of human herpesvirus 6 infection with a high viral load in cord blood stem cell transplant recipients. Blood 100: 2005-2011 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ward, K. N., Turner, D. J., Parada, X. C., Thiruchelvam, A. D. (2001). Use of Immunoglobulin G Antibody Avidity for Differentiation of Primary Human Herpesvirus 6 and 7 Infections. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39: 959-963 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Locatelli, G., Santoro, F., Veglia, F., Gobbi, A., Lusso, P., Malnati, M. S. (2000). Real-Time Quantitative PCR for Human Herpesvirus 6 DNA. J. Clin. Microbiol. 38: 4042-4048 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • LaCroix, S., Stewart, J. A., Thouless, M. E., Black, J. B. (2000). An Immunoblot Assay for Detection of Immunoglobulin M Antibody to Human Herpesvirus 6. CVI 7: 823-827 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mattes, F M, McLaughlin, J E, Emery, V C, Clark, D A, Griffiths, P D (2000). Histopathological detection of owl's eye inclusions is still specific for cytomegalovirus in the era of human herpesviruses 6 and 7. J. Clin. Pathol. 53: 612-614 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Norton, R. A., Caserta, M. T., Hall, C. B., Schnabel, K., Hocknell, P., Dewhurst, S. (1999). Detection of Human Herpesvirus 6 by Reverse Transcription-PCR. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37: 3672-3675 [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article

Services
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.

Latest from ADC

 

ADC is co-owned by the RCPCH and is the official journal of the European Academy of Paediatrics

BMJ Careers - Latest Paediatrics and Paediatric Surgery Jobs

Paediatrics and Paediatric Surgery Jobs

Show me all >>