Human herpesvirus 6B

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B), also called Human betaherpesvirus 6B, is a virus that infects humans. It belongs to the roseolovirus group in the herpesvirus family.

Classification history: In 1992 scientists split HHV-6 into two variants after finding differences in DNA, antibody reactions, and growth. In 2012 these two variants were officially recognised as separate species. The name HHV-6 is still commonly used in medical contexts.

What it does: A first infection usually happens in young children and causes roseola infantum (also known as exanthema subitum or sixth disease), with fever and a pinkish rash. Later in life, the virus can reactivate, especially in people with weak immune systems such as organ transplant patients, and may cause serious problems like encephalitis (brain inflammation), bone marrow suppression, and pneumonitis (lung inflammation).