LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF HUMAN-HERPESVIRUS-6 INFECTION IN ORGAN TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) has been frequently isolated from immunoco mpromised patients. To determine if a routine survey of HHV-6 infectio n is needed after organ transplantation, as is the case for human cyto megalovirus infection, we observed patients who had received kidney, l iver, and kidney-liver transplants; these patients were followed up fo r the first 3 months after transplantation. HHV-6 infection was diagno sed by isolation of the virus and by the results of serological tests. Antibodies to HHV-6 were detected in 28 (87.5%) of the 32 recipients, before the transplant, whereas only 4 (12.5%) of the 32 recipients we re seronegative for HHV-6. After engraftment, HHV-6 infection occurred in 10 (31%) of the 32 recipients; infection was diagnosed by isolatio n of the virus (6 of 32 recipients) or by the results of serological t ests (4 of 32 recipients). Regardless of whether they had HHV-6 primar y infection or reactivation, severe clinical manifestations were obser ved only in patients who had concomitant cytomegalovirus infection, an d no correlation could be found between graft rejection and HHV-6 infe ction. These results suggest that HHV-6 infection occurs frequently in organ transplant recipients and that it is usually not associated wit h severe clinical manifestations unless accompanied by a concomitant C MV infection.