Published in:
01-04-2007 | Brief Report
Human herpesvirus 6 in the newborn intensive care unit
Authors:
A. C. Rentz, J. Stevenson, W. Hymas, D. Hillyard, G. J. Stoddard, E. W. Taggart, C. L. Byington
Published in:
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
|
Issue 4/2007
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Excerpt
Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a ubiquitous DNA virus that causes roseola and may cause life-threatening illness in immune compromised hosts. Peak acquisition of the virus occurs between 6 and 9 months of age, but earlier acquisition has been reported [
1]. Congenital infection has been postulated, but the clinical significance is unclear [
2‐
5]. Chromosomal integration and subsequent detection of HHV-6 DNA has recently been demonstrated, contributing to the confounding effect of detecting the virus in neonates and defining congenitally acquired infection [
6]. We hypothesize that congenital HHV-6 may occur and cause “sepsis-like” episodes in infants cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). …
