A Rare Case of HHV-6 Encephalitis in an Immunocompetent Host: Case Report and Literature Review
Open accessAbstract
Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is a virus known for causing the highly contagious infection, roseola infantum, and has been associated with causing encephalitis in pediatric patients and less commonly in adult patients as well. Regardless of the patient's age, the primary HHV-6 infection could be complicated by neurological sequelae including encephalitis, acute encephalopathy with biphasic seizures syndrome, or demyelinating disease. HHV-6 encephalitis does occur in an adult as a primary infection or reactivation. However, immunocompromised, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients, and solid organ transplant recipients are the most affected population. Here we present a rare case of HHV-6 encephalitis in a 26-year-old healthy immunocompetent male. HHV-6 viral DNA was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid during the acute stage of the disease, and the diagnosis was confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The patient was treated with ganciclovir and had a complete response to treatment without any further complication. The pathophysiology, clinical course, and treatment in otherwise immunocompetent adult patients are also discussed.
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Whole blood qPCR is very useful in distinguishing between iciHHV-6 and primary infection/reactivation.
“Whole blood quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is very useful in distinguishing between iciHHV-6 and primary infection/reactivation.”
From Human Herpesvirus 6—A Rare Aetiologic Agent for CNS Infections in Immunocompetent Individuals or an Underestimation? (2024) · cites this paper as [10]
To distinguish between iciHHV-6 and CNS infections caused by HHV-6, qPCRs from both whole blood and CSF need to be performed.
“To distinguish between the two instances, qPCRs from both whole blood and CSF need to be performed [10,11,12].”
From Human Herpesvirus 6—A Rare Aetiologic Agent for CNS Infections in Immunocompetent Individuals or an Underestimation? (2024) · cites this paper as [10]
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- Authors
- Mekheal, E., Tagliaferri, A. R., Vasquez, K. S., Pjetergjoka, R., Lobue, G., Townsend, D., Leou, K., & Singhal, M.
- Affiliations
- St. Joseph’s University Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mekheal, Erinie
- Venue
- Cureus
- Published
- 2022-03-09
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- e23007-e23007
- ISSN
- 2168-8184 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8993705
- OpenAlex
- W4220923382
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 1.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Cureus (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Viral-associated cancers and disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments
- Keywords
- HHV-6 encephalitis, human herpesvirus 6, immunocompetent adult, cerebrospinal fluid viral DNA, ganciclovir, demyelinating disease, roseola infantum, viral reactivation
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