Human herpesvirus 6: report of emerging pathogen in five patients with HIV/AIDS and review of the literature

The reactivation of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) in patients with AIDS can result in an acute and severe diffuse meningoencephalitis. We describe the epidemiological, clinical and outcome findings of five patients with diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and central nervous system involvement (CNS) due to HHV-6. F...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
Main Authors: Marcelo Corti, Maria Florencia Villafañe, Norberto Trione, Lilia Mamanna, Belén Bouzas
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2011
Subjects:
AIDS
HIV
Meningoencefalite
Meningite
HHV-6
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Arctic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86822011000400026
https://doaj.org/article/d0e3a4156b6a4ca4a2bd9e1b1f19f8eb
Description
Summary:The reactivation of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) in patients with AIDS can result in an acute and severe diffuse meningoencephalitis. We describe the epidemiological, clinical and outcome findings of five patients with diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and central nervous system involvement (CNS) due to HHV-6. Fever was present in all the patients. Meningeal compromise, seizures and encephalitis were present in some of the patients. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens was positive for HHV-6 in all the patients. HHV-6 should be included among opportunistic and emerging pathogens that involve the CNS in patients with AIDS.

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