Herpesviruses in HIV-periodontitis

Area of Science:

• Oral pathology
• Virology
• Immunocompromised host research

Background:

• Human herpesvirus infections increase morbidity and mortality in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• Periodontitis is a common oral condition that can be exacerbated in HIV-infected individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and types of herpesviruses present in gingival biopsies from patients with HIV-periodontitis.
• To compare herpesvirus occurrence in HIV-periodontitis versus periodontitis in non-HIV individuals.

Main Methods:

• Gingival biopsies were collected from 21 HIV-positive patients with periodontitis and 14 HIV-negative patients with periodontitis.
• Nested-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect multiple herpesviruses, including human cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus types 1 and 2 (EBV-1, EBV-2), herpes simplex virus, human herpesviruses (HHV)-6, HHV-7, and HHV-8.

Main Results:

• HIV-periodontitis lesions harbored a significantly higher average number of herpesvirus species (4.0) compared to non-HIV periodontitis lesions (1.9).
• Epstein-Barr virus type 2 (EBV-2) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) were detected more frequently in HIV-periodontitis biopsies.
• Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) was exclusively found in biopsies from HIV-periodontitis lesions.

Conclusions:

• HIV-periodontitis is associated with a greater prevalence of specific herpesviruses (EBV-2, HHV-6) and increased herpesvirus co-infections.
• The role of herpesviruses in the pathogenesis of periodontitis in HIV-infected individuals warrants further investigation.