HHV-6, 7 and their related diseases

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) are relatively recently discovered beta-herpesvirus. They are prevalent in the human popul ation. Primary infection of HHV-6 has been associated with exanthem subitum and febrile illness. Little information is known about the clinical charac teristics of primary infection with HHV-7, although some cases of exanthem subitum have been linked to it. HHV-6 has been recently recognized as an op portunistic pathogen in patients with HIV infection and in transplant recip ients. The techniques now available to detect these two viruses remain limi ted, though putative roles for HHV-6 and HHV-7 in several diseases linked t o viral infection have been reported. This report reviews the current knowl edge of HHV-6 and HHV-7 biology and their pathogenesis. (C) 2000 Elsevier S cience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.