			Home About us Contact

Herpes Virus Infections (herpes + virus_infections)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Tissue HHV6 and 7 determination in pediatric solid organ recipients , a pilot study

PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 6 2003
M. Gupta
Abstract:, Herpes virus infections remain a major challenge in solid organ transplantation. HHV6 and 7 blood viral load was associated with pathology after renal transplantation. Little is known about the significance of tissue HHV6 and 7 infections. A total of 18 tissue biopsies (13 kidney, three GI and two BAL) from nine pediatric transplant patients (five kidney, two liver, one combined liver and kidney and one bone marrow transplant) were subjected to blood HHV6 IgG and IgM testing. In addition, tissue HHV6 and 7 semi-quantitative PCR analysis with subsequent detection by ELISA and quantitative methods were applied to the same samples. We also studied four native kidney biopsies of children with other kidney disease. The results of the biopsies were correlated with clinical data. Of the transplant patients, 78% were HHV6 IgG positive. Six of nine had a positive IgM on at least one occasion, however, only two of nine transplant patients were symptomatic with a mixed CMV/EBV septic picture of multi-organ failure. Only these two patients had a significant tissue viral load for HHV6. Additionally, a very significant tissue viral load for HHV6 was detected in an immunocompromised patient 3 wk after a roseola-like febrile illness. The HHV6 copies were 31, 88 and 206 per 10 ,L of DNA, respectively. In the patient who also had the fourth positive ELISA for HHV6 PCR product, the Multiplex PCR and restriction enzyme assay on its PCR product revealed a significant contribution by HHV7, while the HHV6-B signal was rather weak. Significant tissue HHV6 loads can be found in tissue biopsies from organ recipients with significant illness and also in native kidneys after primary infection. This may explain the high prevalence of HHV6 in transplanted kidneys. Further studies on HHV6 and 7 using molecular techniques should be supported. [source]

Comparison of the Tzanck test and polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of cutaneous herpes simplex and varicella zoster virus infections

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 11 2007
Atilla Ozcan MD
Background, Although the diagnosis of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) infections is usually made clinically, the Tzanck test, electron microscopy, viral culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and serologic tests can be utilized to verify the diagnosis. Methods, We conducted a study on a total of 98 patients (77 patients with recurrent herpes simplex and 21 patients with herpes zoster) to evaluate the reliability and reproducibility of the Tzanck test in comparison with PCR. Results, In herpes virus infections, the general positivity rates of the Tzanck test and PCR were 61.2% and 79.6%, respectively. The difference between the positivity rates of the two tests was statistically significant. The positivity rates of the tests differed according to the type and duration of the lesions. Conclusions, Although PCR was superior to the Tzanck test, the Tzanck test has also been proven to be a reliable diagnostic method, with a sensitivity of 76.9% and a specificity of 100%. We recommend the use of this easy, quick, reproducible, and inexpensive diagnostic test more often in dermatologic practice, especially in cutaneous herpes virus infections. [source]

Herpes folliculitis: clinical, histopathological, and molecular pathologic observations

BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2006
A. Böer
Summary Background, Herpes folliculitis is a rare manifestation of herpes virus infection and it is often misdiagnosed. Diagnostic criteria are not well established, only 24 patients being reported in the literature. Recently it has been suggested that herpetic folliculitis is more common in infections with varicella zoster (VZV) than in those with herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and -2). Objectives, To refine diagnostic criteria for folliculitis caused by VZV, HSV-1 and HSV-2, and to study whether follicular involvement enables morphological differentiation between VZV and HSV infections. Patients and methods, Twenty-one patients with herpetic infection of follicular epithelium were assessed clinically and histopathologically. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) studies for specific DNA of herpes viruses were performed on paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens. Results, In 17 of our cases PCR was positive for VZV, four were positive for HSV-1, none for HSV-2. The clinical presentation of herpes folliculitis often lacked vesicles or pustules (14/21). Histopathological features were often devoid of ballooning (12/21), multinucleated giant cells (12/21) and keratinocytes with steel grey nuclei (15/21). The most consistent findings were lymphocytic folliculitis and perifolliculitis (20/21) and necrotic keratinocytes in follicular epithelium (12/21). In zoster, but not in varicella eruption or HSV infections, follicular involvement was unaccompanied by marked changes in the epidermal surface. Conclusions, In biopsy specimens taken from herpes virus infections, involvement of follicular units is more commonly encountered in VZV infections compared with HSV infections. Early in the course, herpes folliculitis presents as lymphocytic folliculitis devoid of epithelial changes considered to be diagnostic of herpes virus infections. Exclusive involvement of follicles is rather typical of zoster. [source]