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AlQasim E, Alawfi A, Hamad A, Alghamdi F, Albaradi BA. Human Herpesvirus-6 Encephalitis Associated With Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy in an Immunocompetent Child: A Case Report and Literature Review. Cureus 2023; 15:e39897. [PMID: 37404398 PMCID: PMC10316458 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.39897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) is a DNA virus considered a member of the Herpesviridae family. HHV-6 is acquired early in life, when it may cause roseola infantum and nonspecific febrile illnesses which is usually a self-limiting disease before the age of two. Primary HHV-6 encephalitis and acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) are rare diseases to occur in immunocompetent children. We describe an unusual case of HHV-6 encephalitis with mixed features of acute necrotizing encephalopathy and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and contextualize it with a review of the literature on HHV-6 encephalitis in immunocompetent children. Although the incidence of primary HHV-6 encephalitis is rare in immunocompetent children, HHV-6 encephalitis associated with acute necrotizing encephalopathy is a devastating disease, highly fatal and neurologically damaging disease. Therefore, early testing and diagnosis are crucial as well as effective management of encephalitis with antiviral therapy is highly recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esraa AlQasim
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, SAU
| | | | - Abdalazeem Hamad
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, SAU
| | - Fouad Alghamdi
- Pediatric Neurology, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, SAU
| | - Bandar A Albaradi
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, SAU
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Chencheri N, Dirawi M, Tahir S, Shekhy J, Abuhammour W. The Spectrum of Neurological Manifestations of Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection in Children. Cureus 2021; 13:e17183. [PMID: 34540417 PMCID: PMC8439402 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.17183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a member of the Herpesviridae family. There are two HHV-6 species: HHV-6A and HHV-6B. HHV-6B causes the majority of documented primary infections and reactivation events. In this case series, we illustrate the varied spectrum of clinical and radiological features of HHV-6 encephalitis and its management in children. We have described three cases of HHV-6 encephalitis in the age group between nine months and two years. All had an HHV-6 viral load detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. Two of which are of immunocompetent patients. This case series highlights the importance of including HHV-6 infection as one of the differential diagnoses in a child with suspected central nervous system infection and of considering adding CSF HHV-6 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for detection. Increasing awareness of this condition will aid physicians in the timely diagnosis and early treatment of HHV-6 encephalitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidheesh Chencheri
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital, Dubai, ARE
| | - Mohammed Dirawi
- Department of Pediatrics, Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital, Dubai, ARE
| | - Saja Tahir
- Department of Pediatrics, Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital, Dubai, ARE
| | - Jwan Shekhy
- Department of Pediatrics, Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital, Dubai, ARE
| | - Walid Abuhammour
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital, Dubai, ARE
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Cho KU, You SJ. Characteristics of Meningitis in Febrile Infants Aged ≤90 Days. ANNALS OF CHILD NEUROLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.26815/acn.2020.00318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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Multicenter prospective surveillance study of viral agents causing meningoencephalitis. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7216. [PMID: 33785855 PMCID: PMC8010096 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86687-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The frequency of bacterial factors causing central nervous system infections has decreased as a result of the development of our national immunization program. In this study, it is aimed to obtain the data of our local surveillance by defining the viral etiology in cases diagnosed with meningoencephalitis for 1 year. Previously healhty 186 children, who applied with findings suggesting viral meningoencephalitis to 8 different tertiary health centers between August 2018 and August 2019, in Istanbul, were included. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction. The M:F ratio was 1.24 in the patient group, whose age ranged from 1 to 216 months (mean 40.2 ± 48.7). Viral factor was detected in 26.8%. Enterovirus was the most common agent (24%) and followed by Adenovirus (22%) and HHV type 6 (22%). In the rest of the samples revealed HHV type 7 (10%), EBV (6%), CMV (6%), HSV type 1 (6%), Parvovirus (4%) and VZV (2%). The most common symptoms were fever (79%) and convulsions (45.7%). Antibiotherapy and antiviral therapy was started 48.6% and 4% respectively. Mortality and sequela rate resulted 0.53% and 3.7%, respectively. This highlights the importance of monitoring trends in encephalitis in Turkey with aview to improving pathogen diagnosis for encephalitis and rapidly identifying novel emerging encephalitis-causing pathogens that demand public health action especially in national immunisation programme.
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Komaroff AL, Rizzo R, Ecker JL. Human Herpesviruses 6A and 6B in Reproductive Diseases. Front Immunol 2021; 12:648945. [PMID: 33841432 PMCID: PMC8027340 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.648945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human herpesviruses 6A (HHV-6A) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B)—collectively, HHV-6A/B—are recently-discovered but ancient human viruses. The vast majority of people acquire one or both viruses, typically very early in life, producing an ineradicable lifelong infection. The viruses have been linked to several neurological, pulmonary and hematological diseases. In early human history, the viruses on multiple occasions infected a germ cell, and integrated their DNA into a human chromosome. As a result, about 1% of humans are born with the full viral genome present in every cell, with uncertain consequences for health. HHV-6A may play a role in 43% of cases of primary unexplained infertility. Both the inherited and acquired viruses may occasionally trigger several of the factors that are important in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Transplacental infection occurs in 1-2% of pregnancies, with some evidence suggesting adverse health consequences for the child. While emerging knowledge about these viruses in reproductive diseases is not sufficient to suggest any changes in current practice, we write this review to indicate the need for further research that could prove practice-changing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony L Komaroff
- Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Roberta Rizzo
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Jeffrey L Ecker
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Komaroff AL, Pellett PE, Jacobson S. Human Herpesviruses 6A and 6B in Brain Diseases: Association versus Causation. Clin Microbiol Rev 2020; 34:e00143-20. [PMID: 33177186 PMCID: PMC7667666 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00143-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B), collectively termed HHV-6A/B, are neurotropic viruses that permanently infect most humans from an early age. Although most people infected with these viruses appear to suffer no ill effects, the viruses are a well-established cause of encephalitis in immunocompromised patients. In this review, we summarize the evidence that the viruses may also be one trigger for febrile seizures (including febrile status epilepticus) in immunocompetent infants and children, mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), and, possibly, Alzheimer's disease. We propose criteria for linking ubiquitous infectious agents capable of producing lifelong infection to any neurologic disease, and then we examine to what extent these criteria have been met for these viruses and these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony L Komaroff
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Philip E Pellett
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Steven Jacobson
- Virology/Immunology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Abstract
Human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) infection is considered a self-limited disease in immunocompetent children. However, HHV-6 could be associated with various neurologic diseases. We describe 8 children with suspected central nervous system infection and detection of HHV-6 in cerebrospinal fluid. The clinical significance of HHV-6 detection is controversial because it may be caused by primary infection, reactivation or latency.
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Asadi-Pooya AA, Bartolini L. Prevention and treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy: lessons from hepatitis B story! Int J Neurosci 2020; 130:1151-1155. [PMID: 32053411 DOI: 10.1080/00207454.2020.1730370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common type of drug-resistant epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is the most common pathological substrate of TLE. Considering the significant consequences of uncontrolled seizures (e.g. increased morbidity and mortality), epilepsy prevention remains a necessity that potentially could save many lives. Human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6) has been linked to TLE in humans. The relationship between HHV-6 and HS-TLE could be attributed to a neuro-inflammatory cascade triggered by the infection, involving direct neuronal damage and production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines under certain conditions that are still incompletely understood. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is another chronic viral infection with a life-long latency. HBV infection is linked to various clinical conditions, including liver cirrhosis. There are currently three ways to fight HBV infection and its consequences; primary prevention (by vaccination), secondary prevention (by drug therapy), and tertiary prevention (by liver transplantation). Considering the similarities between the natural histories of HHV-6 and HBV infections, and also the successful strategies which are currently available to fight HBV infection and its long-term consequences, here, we propose three strategies to fight HHV-6 and its possible long-term consequence (i.e. HS-TLE): Primary prevention: by developing vaccines to prevent HHV-6 infection; Secondary prevention: by considering trials of antiviral drugs to treat HHV-6 infection, when it happens in the childhood to hopefully prevent its long-term consequences; and, Tertiary prevention: by stem cell therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali A Asadi-Pooya
- Epilepsy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Luca Bartolini
- Hasbro Children's Hospital/Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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