PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Y Sumiyoshi AU - K Akashi AU - M Kikuchi TI - Detection of human herpes virus 6 (HHV 6) in the skin of a patient with primary HHV 6 infection and erythroderma. AID - 10.1136/jcp.47.8.762 DP - 1994 Aug 01 TA - Journal of Clinical Pathology PG - 762--763 VI - 47 IP - 8 4099 - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/47/8/762.short 4100 - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/47/8/762.full SO - J Clin Pathol1994 Aug 01; 47 AB - Human herpes virus 6 (HHV 6) has been implicated as the causative agent of exanthema subitum in young children. Recently, we reported two cases of a severe, infectious, mononucleosis-like syndrome resulting from a primary HHV 6 infection in immunocompetent adults. Both of these patients had the skin condition generally referred to as "erythroderma". A skin-biopsy specimen from one of them, a 43 year old man, was examined. Using immunohistochemical staining and in situ hybridisation, lymphocytes infected with HHV 6 were found in the skin. It is proposed that the erythroderma in immunocompetent adults infected with primary HHV 6 is provoked by infiltration of infected inflammatory cells or infected neoplastic lymphocytes into the dermis.