Lymphotropic viruses in 'common variable' immunodeficiency--PCR analysis of lymphocyte DNA for HIV-1 and HHV-6.

DNA of circulating lymphocytes obtained from 17 patients with 'common variable' immunodeficiency (CVID) was tested for the presence of HIV-1 sequences, using a variety of primers complementary to conserved regions of HIV-1 genomes. None of the patients was positive. The DNA from 12 CVID patients was tested for the presence of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), using appropriate primers for this virus which is known to remain latent following primary infection in the majority of people during childhood. Similar numbers of patients and normal subjects were positive (about 30%), suggesting that CVID patients are not particularly prone to reactivation of this virus. Despite previous anecdotal reports of an unexplained association between HIV-1 and CVID, we conclude that there is no evidence that this virus is implicated in the pathogenesis of CVID. A role for HHV-6 also seems unlikely.