HUMAN HERPESVIRUS-6 INFECTION OF THE FEMALE GENITAL-TRACT

Four of the seven human herpesviruses are recognized to replicate in t he female genital tract and may be transmissible to sexual partners an d newborn infants. Several of these viruses have also been implicated in the etiology of various human cancers, including tumors of epitheli al cell origin. Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a newly identified herp esvirus that causes exanthem subitum. The pathogenicity of HHV-6 withi n the genital tract is largely unexplored. Acellular vaginal secretion s from 29 women attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic were examined for the presence of HHV-6 DNA sequences by polymerase chain r eaction. Three samples (10%) were consistently positive for HHV-6 DNA. Since HHV-6 DNA is shed in the genital tract of some women, it is pos sible that infectious virus is transmissible through sexual contact an d to newborn infants by perinatal spread.