Volgens een poster-presentatie tijdens de internationale HHV6-conferentie in Parijs

komen persistente actieve HHV-6 and HHV-7co-infecties veel vaker voor in ME/CVS

en zou een actieve HHV-7-infectie kunnen resulteren in een actieve HHV6-infectie.

Co-infection of HHV-6 and HHV-7 in patients with myalgic

encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

8th International Conference on HHV-6 & 7

April 8-10, 2013 in Paris, France,

hosted by HHV-6 Foundation. Poster 12-4.

Santa Rasa, Svetlana Chapenko, Zaiga Nora-Krukle,

Angelika Krumina, Ludmila Viksna, Modra Murovska.

Objective:

HHV-6 and HHV-7 infection

has been considered as a possible trigger factor in

myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

The objective of this work was to study

the association of HHV-6 and HHV-7 co-infection with ME/CFS.

Methods:

165 patients (57 male and 109 female, mean age 38 years) with ME/CFS and

150 apparently healthy age and gender matched individuals

were enrolled in this study.

Nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) was used

to detect genomic sequences of HHV-6 and HHV-7.

Latent infection was defined as

the detection of HHV-6 or HHV-7 DNA

in the peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) but not in the cell free blood plasma.

Active infection was defined as

the detection of DNA in both the PBL and the plasma.

Results:

Persistent HHV-6 and/or HHV-7 infection in latent phase

was detected in

77/165 (46.7%) and 88/150 (58.7%) (p=0.0419);

whereas in active phase detection

was in 77/165 (46.7%) and 12/150 (8%)

patients with ME/CFS and apparently healthy individuals, respectively (p<0.0001).

Persistent HHV-6 and HHV-7 co-infection was found in

78/165 (47.3%) cases of ME/CFS and

23/150 (15.3%) of apparently healthy individuals (p<0.0001).

Persistent co-infection in active phase was found

in none of the apparently healthy individuals,

whereas in 78 patients with persistent co-infection,

activation of single HHV-7 (23; 29.5%)

was observed more frequently (p<0.0001)

than single HHV-6 activation (5; 6.4%).

Simultaneous activation of both HHV-6 and HHV-7

was detected in 17 (21.8%) patients with ME/CFS,

showing that activation of

HHV-6 occurs more frequently in the presence of active HHV-7 (p=0.0062).

Conclusions:

Persistent HHV-6 and HHV-7 co-infection in active phase

could be used as one of the biomarkers for ME/CFS.

According to previous in vitro studies,

infection with HHV-7 results in activation of HHV-6,

therefore in case of HHV-6 and HHV-7 co-infection,

HHV-7 infection in active phase

could be responsible for HHV-6 activation

leading to active co-infection.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9sl3v6g8kvplyvp/2013%20HHV-6%20Program%20Book.pdf