HHV-6 is highly seroprevalent and studies have shown that the virus is present in almost 100% of the general population. Primary infection generally occurs within the first 2 years of life. HHV-6 has a worldwide distribution.

Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6) is a β-herpes virus which was first isolated in 1986 from the peripheral blood of 6 patients with a variety of lymphoproliferative disorders, some of whom had AIDS. The virus has worldwide distribution with infection generally occuring within the first two years of life. It is the cause of childhood illnesses known as “6th Disease” or “Roseola Infantum”.

Research groups working on the association between HHV-6 and MS, CFS, Carcinoma, HIV and a range of other illnesses. Biotrin are always interested to hear from research groups working in these areas. Please contact us at info@biotrin.ie with details of your work on HHV-6.

Transmission occurs via saliva from infected individuals, blood transfusion and organ transplantation.

Click here to go to the Physicians’ Corner, where your doctor can find a thorough discussion of HHV-6 and disease.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the hepatitis C virus(HCV) can cause a serious form of Hepatitis. They are more prevalent than HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The world wide incidents is about 4.5% for HBV and above 0.9% for HCV. In India 40 million individuals are believed to have been infected with HVB and about 5 million with HCV.

In the U.S. approximately 10 million people have been diagnosed with osteoporosis and 18 million have been found to have low bone mass. One third to one half of all postmenopausal women will develop osteoporosis. One third of all women over 50 will suffer from a fracture related to osteoporosis.

There is no specific vaccine or treatment for HHV-6 infections. Most children with the disease are not seriously ill but steps should be taken to alleviate their symptoms e.g. reducing the high temperature through maintaining hydration and removing clothing.

HHV-6 has been identified as the cause of roseola in infants and is known to be an opportunistic infection in transplant recipients. Recent studies suggest that HHV-6 may also play a role in MS and CFS.

Test tube studies have shown that acyclovir (Zovirax) and valacyclovir (Valtrex) are not effective against HHV-6. In the same test tube studies, both ganciclovir (Cytovene) and foscarnet (Foscavir) have demonstrated the ability to suppress HHV-6. Whether these drugs or other antiviral agents will be effective in treating patients with MS or other HHV-6 related chronic infections is an important area of ongoing research interest.

Since the mid-1970s up to 2004, the prevalence of overweight and obese children in the United States has roughly tripled among ages 6 to 19 and has more than doubled among children ages 2 to 5. In California, overweight and obesity has grown for all age groups. From 2001 to 2005, overweight and obesity grew from 12.2 to 14.2 percent in ages 12 to 17 and 55 to 56.2 percent in ages 18-64. In people 65 and over, this grew from 54.3 to 55.7 percent.

this time there is not sufficient evidence to indicate a higher risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in the Jewish community. There are some studies that suggest an increase in affective disorders, including bipolar disorder, in the Jewish community. However, these studies have not been adequately substantiated at this time.

Currently, more than eight million people are visually impaired or irreversibly blind as a result of trachoma, and over 84 million people have active disease. The disease is particularly widespread in Africa, where 36 countries are trachoma endemic.

There are in the region of 500 confirmed cases each year in the UK. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) acknowledges that confirmed cases do not necessarily reflect all the cases of the disease. HPA official estimates suggest there could be up to 2,000 new cases occurring in the UK every year. Since full recovery may not take place in many cases, the total number of people affected is accumulating.

More common than you might expect! First, one needs to ask themselves what really does it mean to be transgender. The answer to that varies across societies, across time, and invidual interpretations. Up until the 20th century, many governments prohibited women from the wearing of male clothing -- to do so was felt to assume the privileges accorded only to men.

Obesity is a chronic, debilitating and potentially fatal disease that requires treatment by a physician trained in bariatric medicine. It is marked by an excess accumulation of body fat sufficient to endanger health. The United States is currently suffering an obesity epidemic contributing to the premature death, sickness and suffering of millions of Americans. More than one-third of U.S. adults -– over 72 million people -- were obese in 2005-2006. This includes 33.3 percent of men and 35.

MSS is very rare. About 100-200 cases have been reported in the literature. It has been reported in numerous countries including the United States, Japan, Scandinavia, Italy, England, France, Kuwait, and others. Many reported cases are consanguinous (parents are related).

ANSWER: Osteo Arthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting over 40 million people in the United States alone. It's a wearing down of the load bearing joints in the back, knees, hip joints, and lower spine. There are over 100 types of arthritis. Ringmaster Rubbing Oil helps with most types of arthritic conditions.

The views on this are not univocal.

Human Serum or Plasma can be used with the Biotrin HHV-6 IFA kits. To optimise sensitivity, fresh samples are the preferred sample type. However samples may be frozen at -20oC if extended storage or shipment is required (samples are stable at -20oC for at least 1 year). Please follow the specimen preparation section in the IFU when collecting and preparing patient specimens.

HHV-6 does not cause genital herpes or shingles. Genital herpes is caused by Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) and shingles is caused by Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) which is also the cause of chicken pox. For more information on HSV, go to www.genitalherpes.com

Interferons (including Betaseron and Avonex) known to be potent antiviral agents that may help to suppress active HHV-6 infections.

noted above, it is unlikely that Zovirax and Valtrex will be effective in treating active HHV-6. An oral form of ganciclovir (Cytovene) is currently available, but has very poor bioavailability (low blood levels). Therefore, it would probably be ineffective. A newer form of oral ganciclovir is currently being evaluated.

Studies conducted by VIMS scientists from 1999-2001 showed that mycobacteria could be cultured from the spleens of 76% of striped bass recovered from the Chesapeake Bay (Potomac River to Virginia Beach). Seventy-six percent of these infected fish are positive for M. shottsii. M. shottsii is not only the most common species of mycobacteria in striped bass, but typically occurs at much higher densities than any other mycobacterium in co-infections.

Yes, at times a surgeon has to do an operation of opening up the abdomen or the chest to find out what is wrong with a patient. This may be due to lack of availability of sophisticated diagnostic tools like CAT scan, MRI scan etc. On other occasions, even these investigations do not provide the answer. In such situations, a diagnostic laparoscopy/ thoracoscopy can provide a quick diagnosis and on occasions treatment. TB of the abdomen is a difficult condition to diagnose.

Because trachoma does not kill, and because it is mostly contained among the world’s most marginalized people, it receives little international attention as a public health issue. a result of receiving little attention, few people have heard of trachoma—despite the fact that trachoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness, with 84 million people currently suffering from active infection.

Heel pain is the most common complaint of patients evaluated by foot and ankle specialists. 80% of these visits are caused by plantar fasciitis / heel pain syndrome. The Physician & Sports Medicine Journal reports that 2 million Americans receive treatment for plantar fasciitis each year and that 10% of the population will be afflicted with this condition over a lifetime. Other estimates report that the number of people seeking help for plantar fasciitis may be as high as 3-7 million people.

STDs are extremely common in the United States. Fifty-six percent of teenagers think STDs are a big problem for people their age. They're right!

If the emphasis of women being thin as portrayed in the magazines was responsible for eating disorders then wouldn't they be far more common? Though it has been found that anorexia affects only 1% of women and bulimia 2% of the population, eating disorders are tenacious and dangerous.