Low prevalence of antibody to human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) in Kadazans.

The prevalence of antibody to human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral capsid antigens (VCA) were analysed in sera from Kadazans of Sabah, North Borneo. At a serum dilution of 10, about 34% were positive for HHV-6 antibody but in contrast all 95 individuals studied were positive for EBV VCA antibody. The study shows that HHV-6 and EBV infection occur independently. The low frequency of seropositive individuals in this community suggests that other than socioeconomic factors are responsible for the spread of the virus.