Immune reactivity of human sera to the glycoprotein B of human herpesvirus 7.

The glycoprotein B (gB) is highly conserved among distinct human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) strains. Similarly to other herpesvirus glycoproteins, gB has been assumed to induce a specific human immune response. However, it did not appear as an immunodominant protein in conventional immunoblot assays.

Genetic polymorphism of human herpesvirus-7 among human populations.

The analysis of three human herpesvirus-7 (HHV-7) genes encoding phosphoprotein p100, glycoprotein B and major capsid protein respectively had previously shown the existence of distinct gene alleles, leading to the concept of HHV-7 variants. We have analysed the distribution of HHV-7 variants among 297 distinct subjects who belonged to different human populations from Africa, Asia, Europe and America. Two variants, designated Co1 and Co2, were found in 52% and 20% of studied subjects.