Summary:We investigated whether a causal relationship exists between human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and skin rash resembling acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Isolation of HHV-6 was used to monitor active HHV-6 infection in this study. We analyzed 25 episodes of skin rash in 22 recipients. All recipients were seropositive for HHV-6 before BMT. The onset of skin rash started prior to 30 days post transplantation (group A) in 15 of 25 cases, but after that (group B) in the remaining 10 cases. Twenty-five skin tissue samples were obtained from 22 recipients. The HHV-6 genome was detected in four of 15 skin samples from group A, but not detected in those from group B. HHV-6 was isolated from 11 of 22 recipients around 2 to 3 weeks after BMT (range 14 to 28 days after BMT). HHV-6 was isolated at a time between 10 days before and after the onset of skin rash (skin rash-related viremia) in nine cases in group A. Meanwhile, no skin rash-related viremia was observed in group B. Of the four recipients with positive detection of HHV-6 genome in their skin tissue (group A), two had HHV-6 viremia at the same time. The association between the timing of HHV-6 infection and the onset of skin rash was analyzed statistically. HHV-6 viremia (skin rash-related viremia) was found in nine of 15 (60%) cases in group A, compared with none of 10 (0%) cases in group B. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.008). Moreover, HHV-6 infection (skin rash-related viremia and/or positive detection of HHV-6 DNA in skin tissue) was demonstrated in 11 of 15 (73.3%) cases in group A, compared with none of 10 (0%) cases in group B (P = 0.001). Thus, this study suggests that HHV-6 may be involved in the development of skin rash in the first month after allogeneic BMT. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2001) 28, 77-81.

Aggressive irradiation using QS lasers resulted in a high PIH incidence, while having no advantage in efficacy. For darker skin types, mild irradiation reduces the PIH risk with no disadvantage in efficacy.

Recent studies point out that dissolved iron in seawater is bound to strong organic complexes that have stability constants consistent with microbially produced siderophores. In the present study, the growth and iron uptake of the coastal marine diatom Chaetoceros sociale were experimentally measured in culture experiments at 10ЊC in media containing a terrestrial fungal hydroxamate ferrisiderophore, desferriferrichrome (DFC)-Fe(III) (2 DFC : 1 Fe and 10 DFC : 1 Fe) complex with an Fe concentration of 100 nM. The DFC-Fe(III) (2 : 1) medium as well as EDTAFe(III) (2 : 1) medium in the previous study induced high cell yields and fast growth of C. sociale. The short-term iron uptake rate in the DFC-Fe(III) (2 : 1) medium aged for 9 d at 10ЊC was much faster than the uptake rates in the DFC-Fe(III) (2 : 1 and 10 : 1) media aged for 1 d and in the DFC-Fe(III) (10 : 1) medium aged for 9 d at 10ЊC. Furthermore, the DFC-Fe(III) (2 : 1) medium induced the fastest iron uptake rate in the organic-Fe(III) complexes [DFC-Fe(III), EDTA-Fe(III), citric-Fe(III) and fulvic-Fe(III)] and solid amorphous Fe(III) hydroxide [am-Fe(III)] media in the present and previous studies. The addition of excess DFC stopped iron uptake by C. sociale. The dissociation of DFC-Fe(III) complex in seawater was determined by simple filtration (0.025 m). Fast Fe(III) release was observed over 6-12 d in the DFC-Fe(III) (2 : 1) complex at 10ЊC, resulting from the thermal and microbial decomposition of the DFC complexed with Fe(III). This result is consistent with the faster iron uptake rate and growth rate of C. sociale observed in the DFC-Fe(III) (2 : 1) medium at 10ЊC. These results show that the dissolved DFC-Fe(III) complex in seawater supplies biologically available inorganic Fe(III) species, which may determine the iron uptake rate in culture media by providing bioavailable Fe as the DFC decomposes. The thermal, photochemical, and microbial decomposition of organic chelators complexed with Fe(III) in aquatic environments is probably one of the most important mechanisms for providing bioavailable inorganic Fe(III) species into these environments.Iron is one of the most important biological and geochemical trace elements in the ocean. Recently, many studies of iron speciation in seawater using competitive ligand equilibration/cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE/CSV) (Gledhill and van den

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Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) has recently been recognized as an important pathogen in immunocompromised hosts, such as patients who have undergone allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT). Here we report a case of HHV-6 meningoencephalitis in a patient who underwent allo-BMT from an HLA-identical sibling. The patient suffered from headache, high fever, tremor, and disorientation on day 35 after allo-BMT. Findings at magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, and routine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination suggested the presence of viral meningoencephalitis. We diagnosed HHV-6 meningoencephalitis by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of a CSF specimen. Successful treatment was achieved with ganciclovir. Because HHV-6 encephalitis has a potentially fatal and fulminant course, it is necessary that HHV-6 encephalitis be recognized as one of the central nervous system complications that can follow allo-BMT. PCR analysis for HHV-6 in the CSF specimen is necessary for appropriate diagnosis and treatment.