Langerhans cell histiocytosis and human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6), an analysis by real-time polymerase chain reaction

✍ Scribed by Michael P. Glotzbecker; John P. Dormans; Bruce R. Pawel; Brian P. Wills; Yagnya Joshi; Michael Elkan; Richard L. Hodinka

• Book ID: 102393839
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 118 KB
• Volume: 24
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0736-0266
• DOI: 10.1002/jor.20039

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) usually present to orthopedic surgeons because this disease most commonly affects bone. The pathogenesis of LCH is unknown, although roles for environmental, infectious, immunologic, and genetic causes have been postulated. More specifically, there is limited data suggesting that human herpes virus 6 (HHV‐6) may be a potential etiologic agent. Frozen biopsy material was obtained from 13 patients with LCH and 20 patients without the disease. After ensuring histologic adequacy of the material, the tissue was tested for HHV‐6 by qualitative and quantitative real‐time TaqMan PCR. Four of 13 patients with LCH had evidence of HHV‐6 DNA in their tissue while 7 of 20 control patients tested positive for HHV‐6 genome. Viral loads are reported for the positive patients; no statistical difference was observed in the presence or quantity of HHV‐6 DNA found in either population, suggesting that the prevalence of HHV‐6 in the tissue of LCH patients is the same as that found in tissue from individuals without disease. © 2005 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 24:313–320, 2006