TY - JOUR
T1 - Primary human herpesvirus-6 and -7 infections, often coinciding, misdiagnosed as measles in children from a tropical region of Brazil
AU - Oliveira, S. A.
AU - Turner, D. J.
AU - Knowles, W.
AU - Nascimento, J. P.
AU - Brown, D. W.G.
AU - Ward, K. N.
PY - 2003/10
Y1 - 2003/10
N2 - We investigated primary human herpesvirus-6 and -7 (HHV-6, HHV-7) infections as a cause of rashes incorrectly diagnosed as measles in Brazilian children. Sera from 124 patients, aged 4 months to 17 years, from the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, in whom measles, rubella and parvovirus B19 infections had been excluded, were studied using indirect immunofluorescence antibody avidity tests; 38 (31 %) had evidence of primary HHV-6 and/or HHV-7 infections. Twenty four children had primary HHV-6 infection, either recent or coincident with the rash, and similarly 31 had primary HHV-7 infection. Remarkably, almost half (17) of primary infections were dual HHV-6 and HHV-7 infections with the majority, 12 (71 %), in children less than 1 year old. HHV-7 infection occurred earlier than previously reported, perhaps due to socioeconomic and tropical conditions in this region of Brazil, and thus coincided with the HHV-6 infections. This study also highlights the difficulties of diagnosing a rash illness on clinical grounds alone.
AB - We investigated primary human herpesvirus-6 and -7 (HHV-6, HHV-7) infections as a cause of rashes incorrectly diagnosed as measles in Brazilian children. Sera from 124 patients, aged 4 months to 17 years, from the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, in whom measles, rubella and parvovirus B19 infections had been excluded, were studied using indirect immunofluorescence antibody avidity tests; 38 (31 %) had evidence of primary HHV-6 and/or HHV-7 infections. Twenty four children had primary HHV-6 infection, either recent or coincident with the rash, and similarly 31 had primary HHV-7 infection. Remarkably, almost half (17) of primary infections were dual HHV-6 and HHV-7 infections with the majority, 12 (71 %), in children less than 1 year old. HHV-7 infection occurred earlier than previously reported, perhaps due to socioeconomic and tropical conditions in this region of Brazil, and thus coincided with the HHV-6 infections. This study also highlights the difficulties of diagnosing a rash illness on clinical grounds alone.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0142180026&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0950268803008823
DO - 10.1017/S0950268803008823
M3 - Article
C2 - 14596528
AN - SCOPUS:0142180026
SN - 0950-2688
VL - 131
SP - 873
EP - 879
JO - Epidemiology and Infection
JF - Epidemiology and Infection
IS - 2
ER -
