Chromosomally Integrated HHV-6

Herpesviruses are members of a diverse family of viruses that colonize all vertebrates from fish to mammals. Interestingly, certain oncogenic herpesviruses such as the Marek's disease virus can be found integrated at low frequencies in the host's chromosomes. In recent years, the consistent and rather frequent detection (in approximately 1% of the human population) of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) viral DNA integrated into human chromosomes has spurred renewed interest in our understanding of how these viruses infect, replicate, and propagate themselves. In this chapter, we provide a historical perspective on chromosomal integration by HHV-6 and present the current state of knowledge on integration and the possible clinical implications associated with HHV-6 chromosomal integration. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.