Understanding the association between chromosomally integrated human herpesvirus 6 and HIV disease: a cross-sectional study [version 2; referees: 2 approved, 1 approved with reservations]
Mundeep K. Kainth,
Susan G. Fisher,
Diana Fernandez,
Amneris Luque,
Caroline B. Hall,
Anh Thi Hoang,
Anisha Lashkari,
Alexandra Peck,
Lubaba Hasan,
Mary T. Caserta
Affiliations
Mundeep K. Kainth
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Susan G. Fisher
Department of Pharmacy, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Diana Fernandez
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Amneris Luque
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Caroline B. Hall
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Anh Thi Hoang
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Anisha Lashkari
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Alexandra Peck
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Lubaba Hasan
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Mary T. Caserta
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
We conducted a cross-sectional investigation to identify evidence of a potential modifying effect of chromosomally integrated human herpes virus 6 (ciHHV-6) on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression and/or severity. ciHHV-6 was identified by detecting HHV-6 DNA in hair follicle specimens of 439 subjects. There was no statistically significant relationship between the presence of ciHHV-6 and HIV disease progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. However, after adjusting for use of antiretroviral therapy, all subjects with ciHHV-6 had low severity HIV disease; these findings were not statistically significant. A multi-center study with a larger sample size will be needed to more precisely determine if there is an association between ciHHV-6 and low HIV disease severity.
