| Summary: | Background: Human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) is associated with roseola infantum during childhood followed by life-long latency that periodically reactivated in immunocompromised individuals . In spite of several studies to establish the pathogenic role of HHV-6 in lymphoid malignancies, the issue is still controversial.
Objectives: This study was arranged to explore the association of HHV-6 infection in lymphoid malignancies using different serological and molecular techniques and to quantify the plasma viral load.
Patients and methods: This cross-sectional case control study was conducted in National Center for Hematological Diseases (NCHD) at Al-Mustansiriyah University and Baghdad Teaching Hospital (BTH) in Baghdad-Iraq from September 2013 till April 2015. The patient group consists of 11 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and 39 Non-Hodgkin′s lymphoma of both sexes. The age range was between 15-80 years. The diagnosis of lymphomas was based on hematological and histopathological criteria. 59 apparently healthy individuals were enrolled as control group. They were chosen from unpaid blood donors. The age range was between 18-59 years. Human privacy was respected by taken participant′s oral consensus. The seropositivity rate of anti-HHV-6 IgG and IgM antibodies were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescent test (IFAT). The molecular detection and determination of plasma viral DNA load was achieved by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). All data were statistically analyzed, and P values < 0.05 were considered significant.
Results: The anti-HHV-6 IgG positivity rate by IFAT was insignificantly higher in HL (81.8% vs 61.0% p=0.186) and NHL (64.1% vs 61.0%, p =0.758) compared to control group. The anti-HHV-6 IgG positivity rate by ELISA was 81.8% in HL, 84.6% in NHL versus 72.9 % in controls which were insignificant in both groups (p=0.534 and p=0.173) respectively. The anti-HHV-6 IgM positivity rate by ELISA technique among patients with HL was significantly higher compared to controls (27.2% vs 6.8%, p= 0.038), but not significant in NHL (17.9% vs 6.8%, p= 0.086). HHV-6 DNA was detected in (27.3%) patients with HL by PCR technique, but none of the controls or NHL patients was positive. The plasma viral DNA load of the patient with HL was
1.4± 0.3 x105 copies/milliliter.
Conclusion: Although a higher anti-HHV-6 antibodies positivity rate among patients with HL and NHL, the pathogenic role of the virus in the development of these malignancies was difficult to be ascertain.
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