HUMAN HERPESVIRUS-6 REACTIVATION IN A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF 2 HIV-1-INFECTED PATIENTS

After primary infection, human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) persists in laten t form and can be reactivated in immunocompromised subjects. A longitu dinal study of HHV-6 infection was carried out in two HIV-1 seropositi ve patients to provide in vivo evidence of HHV-6 reactivation. Concomi tant with a significant rise of anti-HHV-6 IgG detected by IFA, a tran sient increase of HHV-6 viral load was shown in PBLs by PCR. During HH V-6 reactivation it was also identified either cell-free HHV-6 by PCR in plasma or IgM antibody titers. HHV-6 reactivation was followed by a temporary decrease in CD4+ count and by a progressive dramatic loss o f CD4+ during the following 18 months. HHV-6 strain characterization b y PCR demonstrated that first patient (MM) initially showed the B vari ant, followed by reactivation and persistence of the A variant, while in the second (SG) only the A variant was detected. The evidence of HH V-6 reactivation suggests its involvement in immunologic damage underl ying the disease. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.