HUMAN HERPESVIRUS-6 (HHV-6) ISOLATION FROM BONE-MARROW - HHV-6-ASSOCIATED BONE-MARROW SUPPRESSION IN BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANT PATIENTS

These studies tested the hypothesis that human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) c an cause posttransplant bone marrow (BM) suppression in BM transplant (BMT) patients. Fifteen adult patients who received T-lymphocyte-deple ted, allogeneic BM transplants and who developed posttransplant BM sup pression were studied. Detailed chart reviews were used to divide the patients into two groups: (1) those with diagnosed BM suppression (DBM S) and (2) those with idiopathic BM suppression (IBMS). BM aspirates o btained from the patients at the onset of BM suppression were subjecte d to an HHV-6 isolation procedure using mitogen-stimulated blood monon uclear cells. BM specimens obtained from another population of BMT pat ients solely to document engraftment irrespective of their BM function were also subjected to the HHV-6 isolation procedure as controls. HHV -6 was isolated from 6 of 15 BM samples from BMT patients with BM supp ression. BM samples from patients with IBMS were more likely to be pos itive for HHV-6 than those from patients with DBMS (P < .01). Also, HH V-6-positive BM were significantly more likely (P < .05) to come from patients with suppression of more than one BM lineage than HHV-6-negat ive BM. Finally, samples of BM from an unselected series of BMT patien ts studied without regard to their BM function were less likely (P < . 01) to be positive for HHV-6 than patients with IBMS. (C) 1994 by The American Society of Hematology.