Human Herpesvirus-6 Detection in Cerebrospinal Fluid on the BioFire FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel in a High Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Prevalence African Setting

James Milburn; Kwana Lechiile; Keatlaretse Siamisang; Christopher G Williams; Leah Owen; Ezekiel Gwakuba; Tichaona Machiya; Tshepo Leeme; Hannah E Barton; Ronan Doyle; Mark W Tenforde; Madisa Mine; David M Goldfarb; Margaret Mokomane; Joseph N Jarvis

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofac229

Human Herpesvirus-6 Detection in Cerebrospinal Fluid on the BioFire FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel in a High Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Prevalence African Setting

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2022 May 17;9(7):ofac229. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac229. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana.
² Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana.
³ Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
⁴ Microbiology Department, Princess Marina Hospital, Gaborone, Botswana.
⁵ Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
⁶ National Health Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana.
⁷ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Abstract

The prevalence and clinical relevance of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) detection in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in patients with suspected meningoencephalitis in high human immunodeficiency virus-prevalence African settings are not known. We describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of 13 patients with HHV-6 CSF PCR positivity in Botswana.

Keywords: HIV; cerebrospinal fluid; encephalitis; human herpesvirus-6; meningitis.