The prevalence of HHV-6 and variant type in HIV positive patients

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of HHV-6 DNA in patients with HIV positive infection and HHV-6 variant type (variant A or variant B) in patients with HHV-6 DNA positive Material and Method: Twenty HIV-positive patients and 57 HIV negative healthy subjects were included in the study. HHV-6 DNA was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the patient and control groups. In cases with HHV-6 DNA positive, HHV-6 variant was investigated with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS program, p≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: HHV-6 DNA positivity was found to be 45% (9/20) in HIV positive patients and 33.3% (19/57) in HIV negative patients. Overall, the positivity rate was 36.3% (28/77). HHV-6 variant B was detected in HIV positive patients, but variant A was not. Conclusion: We believe that further clinical studies involving more cases are needed to determine the importance of HHV-6 seropositivity and variant types in HIV positive patients.