Diagnosis of human herpesvirus 6B primary infection by polymerase chain reaction in young children with exanthematic disease

• Main Authors: Ivna de Melo Magalhães, Rebeca Vasquez Novo Martins, Renata Oliveira Vianna, Solange Artimos Oliveira, Silvia Maria Baeta Cavalcanti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2011-06-01
• Series: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Subjects: Herpesvírus humano tipo 6; Exantema súbito; Multiplex PCR; Imunofluorescência indireta; Infecção primária
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822011000300008&lng=en&tlng=en

INTRODUCTION: Exanthem subitum is a classical rash disease of early childhood caused by human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B). However, the rash is frequently misdiagnosed as that of either measles or rubella. METHODS: In this study, a nested multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to diagnose HHV-6B primary infection, differentiate it from infections caused by HHV-6A and compare it to antibody avidity tests. The samples were separated into case group and control group according to the results of the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) technique. RESULTS: From the saliva samples analyzed, HHV-6A DNA was detected in 3.2% of the case group and in 2.6% of the control group. Regarding HHV-6B, PCR detected viral DNA in 4.8% of the case group and in 1.3% of the control group. Among the serum samples studied, a frequency of 1.7% was determined for HHV-6A in the case group and 1.2% in the control group. PCR did not detect HHV-6B DNA in serum samples. The sensitivity and specificity of the PCR technique ranged from 0% to 4.8% and 97.5% to 100%, respectively, compared to IFA. CONCLUSIONS: The PCR technique was not suitable for diagnosing primary infection by HHV-6B in children with exanthematic disease and should not substitute the IFA.