Quantitation of 8 human herpesviruses in peripheral blood of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients and healthy blood donors by polymerase chain reaction

Human herpesviruses are associated with morbidity and mortality in persons with compromised immune systems, including patients infected with human imm unodeficiency virus (HIV). To investigate the basis for this association, t he levels of all 8 human herpesviruses (herpes simplex vines, types I and 2 , varicella-zoster virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr vines, and human he rpesvirus 6, human herpesvirus 7, and human herpesvirus 8) were measured wi th the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Viral DNA was measured in the whole blood of 20 HIV-infected patients and compared with levels in 20 healthy blood donors. There was no significant difference in the freque ncy of virus detection of the 8 human herpes-viruses between HIV-infected p atients and healthy adults. These results indicate that HIV infection is no t associated with a general increase in the circulating levels of human her pesviruses, and suggest that quantitative PCR analysis Is superior to quali tative PCR analysis for detection of clinically relevant disease in HIV inf ected patients.