Case study utilizing Coppe Lab’s HHV-6 IHC Testing
IHC showing HHV-6 infected liver cells
Coppe Laboratories novel immunohistochemistry (IHC) technology for diagnosing life threatening HHV-6 associated organ disease was profiled in a recent publication in the Journal of Clinical Virology (J Clin Virol. 2015 Dec 14;75:27-32, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26745830.) In collaboration with the University of Chicago we describe the case of a previously healthy woman who presented with a skin rash, mild upper respiratory symptoms, and succumbed to fulminant hepatic failure that was attributed to infection with HHV-6B by immunohistochemistry. The review of the literature showed that HHV-6 may be more commonly associated with fulminant hepatitis in immunocompetent patients than previously thought and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with skin rash, upper respiratory symptoms, and unexplained hepatitis. Dr. David Baewer, Chief Medical Officer at Coppe Laboratories and an author on the study stated “The utlility of immunohistochemistry as a method to diagnose serious HHV-6 associated disease in patients is just beginning to be appreciated.” Coppe Laboratories is the only US reference laboratory offering IHC testing for HHV-6.