Roseolovirus role in the development of infectious and inflammatory diseases affecting the upper respiratory tract in children
Authors:   Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russian Federation, Vlasov P.V. , Sabinina T.S. ,   Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russian Federation, Musyka A.D. ,   Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russian Federation, Soldatova E.Yu. ,   Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russian Federation, Domonova E.A. ,   Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russian Federation, Silveistrova O.Yu. ,   Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russian Federation, Melekhina E.V. ,   Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russian Federation
Published: January 2025

Background: roseoloviruses, including human herpesvirus (HHV) 6A/B and HHV-7, are implicated in several diseases but remain underexplored
among clinically healthy individuals.
Aim: this study aims to assess the role of HHV-6A, HHV-6B, and HHV-7 in the onset of infectious and inflammatory diseases affecting the
upper respiratory tract in children.
Materials and Methods: during the initial phase, 139 children aged 1 to 16 years (median age 6 years) were evaluated, comprising 79 boys.
The subjects were divided into two groups: the main group (children presenting with symptoms of acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI),
n=75) and a comparison group (apparently healthy children, n=64). Blood samples and oral mucosal swabs were collected. In the second
phase, the additional 41 children were assessed, including 31 boys aged 1 to 14 years (median age 7 years). These children were categorized
into a group with grade 3 adenoid hypertrophy (n=27) and a comparison group (n=14, clinically healthy children). Tissue samples obtained
during adenoidectomy or swabs from the pharyngeal tonsils were collected. Samples were analyzed for the presence of HHV DNA using PCR.
Results: in the first phase, HHV DNA was identified in 124 (89%) children, with detection rates of 92% in the comparison group and 87% in
the main group. The most prevalent viruses were HHV-6A/B (64%) and HHV-7 (65%). HHV-6A/B was more frequently detected in girls at 75%
compared to 56% in boys, and in children under 4 years of age (82%). In the second phase, HHV DNA was found in 38 (93%) children, with a
higher prevalence in the main group — 100% versus 79% in the comparison group. HHV-6B DNA was more frequently detected in the main
group (96% vs. 36%).
Conclusions: the findings underscore the significant role of HHV-6B in chronic inflammatory conditions and highlight the necessity for
antiviral therapy, as opposed to HHV-7, which was equally prevalent in both healthy and symptomatic children.
KEYWORDS: human herpesvirus 7, human herpesvirus 6A/B, adenoid hypertrophy, children.
FOR CITATION: Vlasov P.V., Sabinina T.S., Musyka A.D., Soldatova E.Yu., Domonova E.A., Silveistrova O.Yu., Melekhina E.V. Roseolovirus
role in the development of infectious and inflammatory diseases affecting the upper respiratory tract in children. Russian Medical Inquiry.
2024;8(11):624–630 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2024-8-11-4