Abdelrahim Nada A, Mohamed Nahla, Evander Magnus, Ahlm Clas, Fadl-Elmula Imad M
Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nile University, Khartoum, Sudan.
Department of Virology, Faculty of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Afr J Lab Med. 2022 Sep 22;11(1):1718. doi: 10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1718. eCollection 2022.
Human herpes virus type-6 (HHV-6) is increasingly recognised as a febrile agent in children. However, less is known in sub-Saharan African countries, including Sudan.
We investigated the involvement of HHV-6 in paediatric central nervous system (CNS) infections in Khartoum, Sudan.
Febrile patients aged up to 15 years with suspected CNS infections at Omdurman Hospital for Children from 01 December 2009 to 01 August 2010 were included. Viral DNA was extracted from leftover cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens and quantitatively amplified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at Umeå University in Sweden.
Of 503 CSF specimens, 13 (2.6%) were positive for HHV-6 (33.0% [13/40 of cases with proven infectious meningitis]). The median thermal cycle threshold for all HHV-6-positive specimens was 38 (range: 31.9-40.8). The median number of virus copies was 281.3/PCR run (1 × 10 copies/mL CSF; range: 30-44 × 10 copies/PCR run [12 × 10 - 18 × 10 copies/mL CSF]). All positive patients presented with fever and vomiting; 86.0% had seizures. The male-to-female ratio was 1:1; 50.0% were toddlers, 42.0% infants and 8.0% teenagers. Most (83.0%) were admitted in the dry season and 17.0% in the rainy season. Cerebrospinal fluid leukocytosis was seen in 33.0%, CSF glucose levels were normal in 86.0% and low in 14.0%, and CSF protein levels were low in 14.0% and high in 43.0%.
Among children in Sudan with CNS infections, HHV-6 is common. Studies on the existence and spread of HHV-6 chromosomal integration in this population are needed.
人类疱疹病毒6型（HHV-6）越来越被认为是儿童发热的病原体。然而，在包括苏丹在内的撒哈拉以南非洲国家，人们对此了解较少。
我们调查了HHV-6在苏丹喀土穆儿童中枢神经系统（CNS）感染中的作用。
纳入2009年12月1日至2010年8月1日在恩图曼儿童医院疑似CNS感染的15岁及以下发热患者。病毒DNA从剩余的脑脊液（CSF）标本中提取，并在瑞典于默奥大学通过实时聚合酶链反应（PCR）进行定量扩增。
在503份CSF标本中，13份（2.6%）HHV-6呈阳性（在确诊为感染性脑膜炎的病例中占33.0%[13/40]）。所有HHV-6阳性标本的中位热循环阈值为38（范围：31.9-40.8）。病毒拷贝数中位数为281.3/PCR反应管（1×10拷贝/mL CSF；范围：30-44×10拷贝/PCR反应管[12×10-18×10拷贝/mL CSF]）。所有阳性患者均有发热和呕吐症状；86.0%有癫痫发作。男女比例为1:1；50.0%为幼儿，42.0%为婴儿，8.0%为青少年。大多数（83.0%）在旱季入院，17.0%在雨季入院。33.0%的患者脑脊液白细胞增多，86.0%的患者脑脊液葡萄糖水平正常，14.0%的患者脑脊液葡萄糖水平低，14.0%的患者脑脊液蛋白水平低，43.0%的患者脑脊液蛋白水平高。
在苏丹患有CNS感染的儿童中，HHV-6很常见。需要对该人群中HHV-6染色体整合的存在和传播进行研究。
