Baierbrunn, Germany - Human herpes virus 6 is apparently
hereditary, according to research conducted at the University of
Rochester in the US state of New York.
According to a report in a German magazine for pharmacists, some
parents pass on the human herpes virus (HHV-6) to their children
because it is integrated into their chromosomes. It is the first time
the virus has been shown to become part of the human DNA and then
passed to subsequent generations. The long-term health consequences
are unknown.
The researchers studied 254 babies born between July 2003 and
April 2007, the university said in a press release. Of those, 43 had
congenital HHV-6 infections based on samples of blood drawn from the
embilical cord.
Thirty-seven (86 per cent) of them had the virus integrated into
their chromosomes. The remaining six were infected by the mother
through the placenta. At least one of their parents also carried the
virus, meaning the children acquired the integrated infections
through their mother's egg or their father's sperm at conception.
'With further study, we hope to discern whether this type of
infection affects children differently than children infected after
birth,' said Caroline Breese Hall, professor of Paediatrics and
Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Centre.
HHV-6 causes roseola, an infection that is nearly universal by age
3. The typical roseola syndrome produces several days and up to a
week of a high fever and may have other symptoms that affect
breathing and digestion.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story