Optimization of the quantitative PCR for detection HHV-6 infection in patients with neurological disorders

Abstract

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) may cause  some serious neurologic disorders: multiple sclerosis, meningoencephalitis, mesial temporal lobe epilepsy etc.  Detectijn  this virus and providing early diagnosis allow to improve outcomes  disease. A rapid method based on real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has been optimised to screen and quantify r HHV-6

.HHV-6 viral load could be a potential marker of prevention, diagnosys and treatment in patients with epilepsy and other neurologic disorders. The aim of our study is to optimize of HHV-6 infection detection in patients with epilepsy and meningoencephalitis using qPCR "in house" system.

The 18 patients with epilepsy (10 children age 5 14 years old and 8 adults 18-30 years old) and 20 patients with meningoencephalitis (14 females, 6 males; mean age 37 years [range: 19−49] were included in the study. Randomly selected 20 gender- and age-matched healthy blood donors as controls were investigated for evidence of HHV-6.

We found HHV-6 in 6/18 (33%) of serum samples (SS) and in 8/18 (44%) of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) among the patients with epilepsy. For patients with meningoencephalitis: 9/20 (45%) in SS and 10/20 (50%) in PBL. For heathy blood donors: 0/20 in SS and 1/20 (5%) in PBL.

Optimized "in house" qPCR system provides higher sensitivity in comparison to reference commercial kit. HHV-6 is probably takes part in the development of mental health disorders and have to be under control.