Human herpesvirus 7: Another causal agent for roseola (exanthem subitum),☆☆,

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(94)70113-XGet rights and content

Abstract

Human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of two infants with typical exanthem subitum. The HindIII-, BamHI-, and EcoRI-digested DNA patterns of the isolated viruses were very similar to that of the prototype HHV-7 (RK strain), but different from that of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). During the convalescent period of the first patient, the titer of antibody to HHV-7 rose from <1:10 to 1:320 by an immunofluorescence antibody test, whereas the titer of antibody to HHV-6 remained <1:10. In the second patient, who had two independent episodes of exanthem subitum during 2 months, both HHV-6 and HHV-7 were sequentially isolated; seroconversion to HHV-6 occurred during the first episode and to HHV-7 during the second episode. In addition, sera from another 15 children who had episodes of exanthem subitum were serologically tested for antibodies to HHV-6 and HHV-7 by immunofluorescence antibody test. Five of seven patients had seroconversion to HHV-7 just after having typical signs and symptoms of exanthem subitum. These results suggest that HHV-7 is one of the causative agents of exanthem subitum. (J PEDIATR 1994;125:1-5)

Section snippets

Patients

Seventeen children (nine boys) were studied. Fifteen were seen at Shingu Municipal Hospital and two at Kondo Clinic between November 1991 and July 1993. The mean age was 11.9 months (range, 6 to 26 months). All patients had the typical clinical features of ES, such as fever and rash (detailed information concerning the patients may be obtained from the authors on request). Informed consent for blood sampling was obtained for all children from their parents.

Isolation of HHV-6 and HHV-7

Peripheral blood was collected from

Patient 1 (Table)

An 8-month-old boy visited Kondo Clinic with fever (maximum 38.2° C), which continued for 4 days. A light pink maculopapular rash was seen on the face and trunk on the fifth and sixth days of illness. The infant had no other clinical symptoms or signs.9 We cultured PBMCs from peripheral blood collected on the third febrile day. After 10 days of culture, balloonlike cells were observed, but this cytopathic effect seemed to be less than that caused by HHV-6. The IFA tests using McAbs to HHV-6 and

DISCUSSION

Human herpesvirus 7 was first isolated from CD4+ T lymphocytes purified from PBMCs of a healthy adult,1 and subsequently from a patient with chronic fatigue syndrome.4 However, an association between HHV-7 infection and chronic fatigue syndrome was not found by seroepidemiologic studies,10 and the clinical features of the primary infection of HHV-7 have not been established. We now report that HHV-7 was isolated from a patient who had no antibody to HHV-6 and whose clinical features were

References (16)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (299)

  • Viral Infections of the Fetus and Newborn

    2023, Avery's Diseases of the Newborn
  • Sudden child death with acute encephalitis due to human herpesvirus 7: A case report and review of the literature

    2022, Forensic Science International: Reports
    Citation Excerpt :

    These results suggest prior infection and reactivation of HHV-7. Oral infection through saliva is a common infectious route of HHV-7, and more than 90% of persons are infected by six years of age [1,2,4–9]. Furthermore, primary infection with HHV-7 causes roseola infantum and FS [1,5–7,12].

  • Herpes virus and its manifestations

    2022, Viral, Parasitic, Bacterial, and Fungal Infections: Antimicrobial, Host Defense, and Therapeutic Strategies
View all citing articles on Scopus

From the Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Osaka, the Kondo Clinic, Toyonaka, Osaka, the Pediatric Clinic, Shingu Municipal Hospital, Shingu, Wakayama, the Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, and the Department of Microbiology, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Osaka, Japan

☆☆

Reprint requests: Koichi Yamanishi, MD, Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565, Japan.

0022-3476/94/$3.00 + 0 9/20/54482

View full text