PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Hammerling, J A
AU  - Lambrecht, R S
AU  - Kehl, K S
AU  - Carrigan, D R
TI  - Prevalence of human herpesvirus 6 in lung tissue from children with pneumonitis.
AID  - 10.1136/jcp.49.10.802
DP  - 1996 Oct 01
TA  - Journal of Clinical Pathology
PG  - 802--804
VI  - 49
IP  - 10
4099  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/49/10/802.short
4100  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/49/10/802.full
SO  - J Clin Pathol1996 Oct 01; 49
AB  - AIMS/BACKGROUND: Human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) is the aetiological agent of exanthem subitum, and has also been linked with a variety of other diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of HHV-6 in pneumonitis in children. METHODS: Formalin fixed, paraffin wax embedded lung tissue from 33 children (age range two months to 16 years) who died with pneumonitis was subjected to immunohistochemical staining for HHV-6 using an avidin-biotin method. RESULTS: Active HHV-6 infection was demonstrated in four children: a bone marrow transplant recipient with concomitant adenovirus infection, a patient with hepatitis of unknown aetiology, a patient with congenital anomalies, and a patient with congenital immunodeficiency. CONCLUSION: Accurate localisation of HHV-6 is possible in postmortem lung tissue. HHV-6 either alone or in combination with other pathogens may play a role in the development of pneumonitis.