Human Herpesvirus 6B and Lower Respiratory Tract Disease After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) DNA is frequently detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from immunocompromised subjects with lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD). Whether HHV-6B is a pulmonary pathogen is unclear.

We tested BALF for HHV-6B DNA using polymerase chain reaction in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients who underwent a BAL for evaluation of LRTD from 1992 to 2015. We used multivariable proportional hazards models to evaluate the association of HHV-6B⁺ BALF with overall mortality, death from respiratory failure, and the effect of anti-HHV-6B antivirals on these outcomes. We used branched-chain RNA in situ hybridization to detect HHV-6 messenger RNA (U41 and U57 transcripts) in lung tissue.

We detected HHV-6B⁺ BALF from 147 of 553 (27%) individuals. Subjects with HHV-6B⁺ BALF, with or without copathogens, had significantly increased risk of overall mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.18; 95% CI, 1.41-3.39) and death from respiratory failure (aHR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.56-4.01) compared with subjects with HHV-6B^- BALF. Subjects with HHV-6B⁺ BALF who received antivirals within 3 days pre-BAL had an approximately 1 log₁₀ lower median HHV-6B BALF viral load, as well as a lower risk of overall mortality (aHR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.16-1.10), compared with subjects with HHV-6B⁺ BALF not receiving antivirals. We detected intraparenchymal HHV-6 gene expression by RNA in situ hybridization in lung tissue in all three tested subjects with HHV-6B⁺ BALF and sufficient tissue RNA preservation.

These data provide evidence that HHV-6B detection in BALF is associated with higher mortality in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients with LRTD. Definitive evidence of causation will require a randomized prevention or treatment trial.