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Comments on current publications
88 Infectious Diseases Newsletter 9(11) November 1990 posi's sarcoma cells, which are of comparable mesenchymal origin as endothelial and smooth muscle cells, need an additional "priming" event in order to become responsive to Tat. By inducing the growth of Kaposi's sarcoma cells, we note that Tat may directly contribute to Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS patients. The mechanism by which Tat promotes growth is unknown. However, Tat may well be a member of the biologically active proteins that are classed as cytokines and that include interleukin and growth factor. CWS []
Levey JA, Greenspan D, Ferro F, Lennette ET: Frequent isolation of HHV-6 from saliva and high sero-
Aims and Scope The Infectious Diseases Newsletter seeks to provide concise reports of the current state of knowledge and practice in infectious diseases. Diverse sources are tapped, the primary consideration being the relevance of the information that is gained. The intended audience includes physicians, nurses, and laboratory personnel who participate in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases. Such broad dissemination is warranted by the essential, yet interdependent, nature of the efforts of those health care providers whose concern is patients with infectious diseases.
prevalence of the virus in the population. Lancet 335:1047-1050, 1990.
most likely constitutes the source of person-to-person transmission.
This study investigated the prevalence of HHV-6 virus in saliva as well as the seroprevalence of this virus in the population. The results indicate that HHV-6 can be found in cell-free saliva at a very high frequency (>85%). Seroconversion of HHV-6 occurred between 1 and 3 years of age with 80%-100% of the adult population under 40 seropositive; this decreased to 35% seropositivity between the ages of 62 and 88. The authors conclude that HHV-6 infection takes place in the first 3 years and infects more than 90% of the adult population worldwide. Immunity to HHV-6 is maintained in 80%-90% of the adult population until ages above 40, when antibodies disappear with increasing age. The persistent viral shedding in saliva of healthy adults appears to represent reactivation of virus and
Comment There are six distinct human herpes viruses; herpes simplex 1 and 2, cytomegalovirus, varicella-zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and the recently described human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). The disease spectrum of HHV-6 is only partly known. HHV-6 infection is associated with exanthem subitum in children. A high mean titer of HHV-6 antibodies in adults with chronic fatigue syndrome suggests a possible role for this virus in certain patients with an underlying immune disorder. The study by Levy et al. strongly implies that saliva is the most likely source of infection and that HHV-6 is ubiquitous in the world's population. The role of HHV-6 in infections remains to be fully elucidated. CWS
General Information Infectious Diseases Newsletter is published monthly by Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10010. Please see inside front cover for subscription information. This newsletter has been registered with the Copyright Clearance Center Inc. Consent is given for copying of articles for personal or internal use, or for the personal or internal use of specific clients. This consent is given on the condition that the copier pay through the Center the per-page fee stated in the code on each page for copying beyond that permitted by the US Copyright Law. If no code appears on an article, the author has not given broad consent to copy and permission to copy must be obtained directly from the author. This consent does not extend to other kinds of copying, such as for general distribution, resale, advertising and promotional purposes, or for creating new collective works. Address orders, changes of address, and claims for missing issues to Journals Fulfillment Department, Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10010. Claims for missing issues can be honored only up to three months for domestic addresses and six months for foreign addresses. Duplicate copies will not be sent to replace those undelivered because of failure to notify Elsevier of change of address. Address editorial correspondence to Charles W. Stratton, MD, Director of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, C3321 Medical Center North, Nashville, TN 37232.
Infectious Diseases Newsletter is included in BIOSIS. ~) 1990 Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc. 0278-2316/90/$000 4 2.20
Levey JA, Greenspan D, Ferro F, Lennette ET: Frequent isolation of HHV-6 from saliva and high sero-
Aims and Scope The Infectious Diseases Newsletter seeks to provide concise reports of the current state of knowledge and practice in infectious diseases. Diverse sources are tapped, the primary consideration being the relevance of the information that is gained. The intended audience includes physicians, nurses, and laboratory personnel who participate in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases. Such broad dissemination is warranted by the essential, yet interdependent, nature of the efforts of those health care providers whose concern is patients with infectious diseases.
prevalence of the virus in the population. Lancet 335:1047-1050, 1990.
most likely constitutes the source of person-to-person transmission.
This study investigated the prevalence of HHV-6 virus in saliva as well as the seroprevalence of this virus in the population. The results indicate that HHV-6 can be found in cell-free saliva at a very high frequency (>85%). Seroconversion of HHV-6 occurred between 1 and 3 years of age with 80%-100% of the adult population under 40 seropositive; this decreased to 35% seropositivity between the ages of 62 and 88. The authors conclude that HHV-6 infection takes place in the first 3 years and infects more than 90% of the adult population worldwide. Immunity to HHV-6 is maintained in 80%-90% of the adult population until ages above 40, when antibodies disappear with increasing age. The persistent viral shedding in saliva of healthy adults appears to represent reactivation of virus and
Comment There are six distinct human herpes viruses; herpes simplex 1 and 2, cytomegalovirus, varicella-zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and the recently described human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). The disease spectrum of HHV-6 is only partly known. HHV-6 infection is associated with exanthem subitum in children. A high mean titer of HHV-6 antibodies in adults with chronic fatigue syndrome suggests a possible role for this virus in certain patients with an underlying immune disorder. The study by Levy et al. strongly implies that saliva is the most likely source of infection and that HHV-6 is ubiquitous in the world's population. The role of HHV-6 in infections remains to be fully elucidated. CWS
General Information Infectious Diseases Newsletter is published monthly by Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10010. Please see inside front cover for subscription information. This newsletter has been registered with the Copyright Clearance Center Inc. Consent is given for copying of articles for personal or internal use, or for the personal or internal use of specific clients. This consent is given on the condition that the copier pay through the Center the per-page fee stated in the code on each page for copying beyond that permitted by the US Copyright Law. If no code appears on an article, the author has not given broad consent to copy and permission to copy must be obtained directly from the author. This consent does not extend to other kinds of copying, such as for general distribution, resale, advertising and promotional purposes, or for creating new collective works. Address orders, changes of address, and claims for missing issues to Journals Fulfillment Department, Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10010. Claims for missing issues can be honored only up to three months for domestic addresses and six months for foreign addresses. Duplicate copies will not be sent to replace those undelivered because of failure to notify Elsevier of change of address. Address editorial correspondence to Charles W. Stratton, MD, Director of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, C3321 Medical Center North, Nashville, TN 37232.
Infectious Diseases Newsletter is included in BIOSIS. ~) 1990 Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc. 0278-2316/90/$000 4 2.20