Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis Associated with HHV6-A/ciHHV6-A and HHV6-B Coinfection in an Immunocompetent Woman

Abstract

Background and Objective: Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) is a small vessel vasculitis that can be limited to the skin but may also affect other organs. Often, its cause is unknown. LCV has previously been reported to occur with the reactivation of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). Here, we report a second instance of HHV-6 reactivation in a 43-year-old woman with idiopathic cutaneous LCV. </P><P> Case Description: In this case, the patient was immunocompetent, and testing revealed that she had inherited chromosomally integrated human herpesvirus 6 variant A (iciHHV6-A) with a parallel skin infection of HHV-6B. The integrated ciHHV-6A strain was found to be transcriptionally active in the blood, while HHV-6B late antigen was detected in a skin biopsy. The patient’s rash was not accompanied by fever nor systemic symptoms and resolved over four weeks without any therapeutic intervention. Conclusion: In light of the transcriptional activity documented in our case, further examination of a possible role for HHV-6 in the etiology of LCV is warranted.

Unveiling the Causal Link of herpes virus infection and Cutaneous Leukocytoclastic Angiitis: Insights from Mendelian Randomization

“…EBV, a widespread herpesvirus, has also been associated with angiitis (7) . HHV-6, encompassing HHV-6A and HHV-6B species, has shown links to angiitis based on biopsy specimens and molecular research (8,9) . Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether these associations between herpes viruses and CLA are causal.…”

Chickenpox‐like eruption due to Human herpesvirus‐6

“…In conclusion, we presented a case of cutaneous manifestations of ci‐HHV6 in an immunocompetent patient. There is one previous description of cutaneous lesions which appeared in an immunocompetent ci‐HHV6 individual and resolved without therapy in 4 weeks …”