Oral shedding of human herpesviruses in patients undergoing radiotherapy/chemotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is not affected by xerostomia

Oral shedding of herpesviruses and clinical outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients

OBJECTIVES

To characterize the oral shedding of herpes viruses in patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) and investigate its relationship with clinical outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Polymerase chain reaction and enzymatic digestion were performed to identify the oral shedding of the members of the Herpesviridae family in 31 patients. The samples were collected from the oral cavity at five timestamps.

RESULTS

The presence of each herpesvirus in the oral cavity was observed in 3.2%, 12.9%, 19.3%, 32.2%, 54.8% and 93.5% patients for human herpesvirus (HHV)-6A, herpes simplex virus-1, HHV-6B, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and HHV-7, respectively. Oral shedding of herpes virus was not uncommon after alloHSCT. There was a statistically significant association between the EBV and CMV oral shedding at C1 and the cumulative incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). The results suggested that the presence of HSV-1 at C2 was related to a relapse. The HHV-7 oral shedding at C2 suggests a possible link between relapse, progression-free survival and overall survival of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who developed aGVHD showed higher CMV and EBV shedding in the oral cavity at aplasia, suggesting modifications to the pattern of immune cell response and inflammatory microenvironment.

High abundance of human herpesvirus 8 in wastewater from a large urban area

AIMS

This study assesses the diversity and abundance of Human Herpesviruses (HHVs) in the influent of an urban wastewater treatment plant using shotgun sequencing, metagenomic analysis and qPCR.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Influent wastewater samples were collected from the three interceptors that serve the City of Detroit and Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties between November 2017 to February 2018. The samples were subjected to a series of processes to concentrate viruses which were further sequenced and amplified using qPCR. All nine types of HHV were detected in wastewater. Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), known as Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus, which is only prevalent in 5-10% of USA population, was found to be the most abundant followed by HHV-3 or Varicella-zoster virus.

CONCLUSIONS

The high abundance of HHV-8 in the Detroit metropolitan area may be attributed to the HIV-AIDS outbreak that was ongoing in Detroit during the sampling period.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The approach described in this paper can be used to establish a baseline of viruses secreted by the community as a whole. Sudden changes in the baseline would identify changes in community health and immunity.

Frequency and Evolution of Acute Oral Complications in Patients Undergoing Radiochemotherapy Treatment for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Despite its effectiveness, radiochemotherapy treatment in the head and neck region is accompanied by acute oral complications such as oral mucositis, dysphagia, xerostomia, and dysgeusia. The aim of this study was to analyze and prospectively assess the frequency and evolution of acute oral complications during radiochemotherapy in patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck region. We have analyzed oral complications of 20 patients during 6 weeks of radiochemotherapy treatment for squamous cell carcinoma. Oral mucositis was evaluated according to the World Health Organization criteria, dysphagia, and dysgeusia according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria, and xerostomia according to parameters set by the Seminars in Radiation Oncology. Mucositis was first observed in the second week and all patients presented some degree of mucositis in the fourth week of radiotherapy. Xerostomia and dysphagia were initially reported already in the first week of radiotherapy. All patients presented xerostomia in the fourth week; however, dysphagia was observed in all patients, only in the sixth week. Dysgeusia was first observed in the second week, becoming more severe in the third week. Acute oral complications can be observed throughout the treatment, but the third week of radiotherapy seems to represent a critical week, regardless of the grade of the complication. The sixth week presents the worst grades of these complications. Knowledge about the natural course of oral complications during radiotherapy is important to develop better strategies for treatment and improve the patients' quality of life.

Cytokine Levels and Human Herpesviruses in Saliva from Clinical Periodontal Healthy Subjects with Peri-Implantitis: A Case-Control Study

This study evaluated the presence of cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and TNF-α) and human herpesvirus (HSV1, HSV2, EBV, CMV, VZV, HHV6, HHV7, and HHV8) in saliva samples taken from subjects with and without peri-implantitis. Forty-two periodontally healthy subjects were divided according to peri-implant condition: healthy and peri-implantitis groups. The clinical parameters as probing depth, clinical attachment level, plaque index, gingival bleeding, bleeding on probing, and suppuration were evaluated. For cytokine detection, multiplex analysis was performed, and PCR assay was used to identify herpesviruses. No significant differences were found in cytokine levels between groups (p > 0.05). The presence of herpesvirus was 1.97-fold higher in patients with peri-implantitis (odds ratio, CI 0.52-7.49). The association of the presence or absence of herpesvirus with the salivary markers was statistically significant for MIP-1β (p = 0.0087) and TNF-α (p = 0.0437) only in the peri-implantitis group. The presence of herpesviruses in patients with peri-implantitis suggests the development of a proinflammatory environment, which is characterized by increased expression of MIP-1β and TNF-α in saliva.