In order to evaluate the possible reactivation of human herpesviruses 6 (HHV-6) and 7 (HHV-7) after heart transplantation, buffy-coat and plasma specimens from 21 transplant patients and 56 healthy blood donors were examined for HHV-6 and HHV-7 DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Human herpesvirus 6 and HHV-7 infection or reactivation has been suggested to play a role in cytomegalovirus disease progression in renal transplant recipients. In the present study, however, no significant difference in the prevalence of HHV-6 and HHV-7 was found between the immunosuppressed and the healthy population; moreover, no viral reactivation was found in the heart transplant recipients.

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In order to evaluate the possible reactivation of human herpesviruses 6 (HHV-6) and 7 (HHV-7) after heart transplantation, buffy-coat and plasma specimens from 21 transplant patients and 56 healthy blood donors were examined for HHV-6 and HHV-7 DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Human herpesvirus 6 and HHV-7 infection or reactivation has been suggested to play a role in cytomegalovirus disease progression in renal transplant recipients. In the present study, however, no significant difference in the prevalence of HHV-6 and HHV-7 was found between the immunosuppressed and the healthy population; moreover, no viral reactivation was found in the heart transplant recipients.

After primary infection in early life, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) remains latent in the body and may reactivate in subjects with poor immune status. A 180-day longitudinal study of HHV-6 infection was carried out in 23 autologous bone marrow transplant recipients to evaluate reactivation of HHV-6; two of these patients underwent a double transplant. The patients were monitored prospectively for HHV-6 DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by hot start nested PCR. Positive samples were typed by the enzymatic restriction protocol. Positive plasma samples were also tested for HHV-6 DNA. Antibodies against HHV-6 were measured by immunofluorescence. Five and two out of 23 patients had intermittent and persistent positivity to HHV-6 DNA in PBMCs, respectively; four patients carried variant B, and the other three patients both A and B. None of the respective plasma samples were positive. Two patients were positive for HHV-6 antibodies. Since the significance of HHV-6 DNA in PBMCs is unclear, these findings do not necessarily indicate active infection but may be due to mild immunosuppression in autologous BMT recipients.