This prospective, multi-center study investigated the role of human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in post-transplant pneumonia. Researchers found HHV-6B DNA and mRNA in a significant portion of bronchoalveolar lavage samples, establishing viral load thresholds predictive of active infection and increased mortality risk. Analysis of host gene expression revealed distinct transcriptional signatures associated with HHV-6B detection, particularly in patients with idiopathic pneumonia syndrome. These findings strongly implicate HHV-6B as a pulmonary pathogen following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, warranting further clinical consideration. The study utilized multiple molecular diagnostic techniques and RNA sequencing to analyze paired blood and BALF samples.

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PMID: 38228644

Hill JA, Lee YJ, Vande Vusse LK, et al. HHV-6B detection and host gene expression implicate HHV-6B as pulmonary pathogen after hematopoietic cell transplant. Nat Commun 2024;15(1):542.