The role of HHV-6, HHV-7, CMV and EBV in the etiology of pityriasis rosea

PR is a common papulosquamous skin disorder that is suspected to have an infectiousetiology. Because of the conflicting results about infectious etiology from different centerswe aim to study the role of EBV, CMV, HHV-6 and HHV-7 in the pathogenesis of PR andinvestigate new treatment choices.25 patients with PR aged between 20 and 70 years and 25 age-sex matched healtycontrols were included in the study. Tissue and blood samples were collected from thepatients and only blood samples were collected from the healty controls. PCR with spesificprimers for HHV-6 and HHV-7 DNA sequences was performed on the blood and tissuesamples of patients and on the blood samples of healty controls. HHV-6, EBV, CMV IgM andIgG parameters were analyzed by ELISA and HHV-7 IgM and IgG parameters wereanalyzed by IFA on the serum samples of patients and healty controls.HHV-6 IgM and IgG parameters were negative in all of the specimens from patientsand healty controls in the fırst and second controls. 17 HHV-7 IgG, one HHV-7 IgM, 25CMV IgG, one CMV IgM, 23 EBV IgG, two EBV IgM were positive on the blood samples ofpatients in the fırst control. 19 HHV-7 IgG, two HHV-7 IgM, 25 CMV IgG, one CMV IgM,23 EBV IgG, two EBV IgM were positive on the blood samples of patients in the secondcontrol. HHV-6, HHV-7, CMV and EBV IgM parameters were negative in all of the bloodsamples from the healty controls.PCR was positive for HHV-6 DNA in 7 patients and HHV-7 DNA in 12 patients onthe tissue samples in the fırst control. PCR, was positive for HHV-6 DNA in 6 patients andand HHV-7 DNA in 12 patients on the tissue samples in the second control. PCR was positivefor HHV-6 DNA in two patients and HHV-7 DNA in 6 patients on the blood samples in thefırst control. PCR was positive for HHV-6 DNA in one patient and HHV-7 DNA in 11patients on the blood samples in the second control. PCR was positive for HHV-6 DNA inone healty conrol and HHV-7 DNA in 4 healty conrol on the blood samples.There was statistically significant difference for the presence of HHV-7 DNAsequences between healty controls and PR patients in the second control (p=0,031). Therewas no statistically significant difference for the other parameters between healty controls andPR patients (p> 0,05).Our results failed to support a posibble role for EBV and CMV in the pathogenesis ofPR. It is possible that HHV-6 may have an etiological role in the pathogenesis of PR But therewas strong evidence for HHV-7 in the pathogenesis of PR in our study.Altough our results revealed some relationship between PR and HHV-6 andespecially HHV-7, we think that HHV-6 and HHV-7 may play a role in some patients, butother etiological factors may exist.