Herpesvirus infections and allergic sensitization in children of families with anthroposophic and non-anthroposophic lifestyle - the ALADDIN birth cohort.

Background: Growing up in families with an anthroposophic lifestyle has been associated with reduced risk of allergic disease in children. The aim of this report was to assess whether children with this lifestyle are infected earlier with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which has been associated with reduced risk of allergic disease, and three other herpesviruses potentially involved in allergy development, namely Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6), Human herpesvirus 7 (HHV7) and cytomegalovirus (CMV).

Methods: Within the ALADDIN (Assessment of Lifestyle and Allergic Disease During Infancy), birth cohort study 157 children were categorized according to lifestyle into anthroposophic and non-anthroposophic.

In vitro inhibition of SARS virus replication by human interferons.

Four different types of human interferon, interferon-beta (IFN-beta), recombinant IFN-alpha2a and IFN-alpha2b and natural IFN-alpha were tested for antiviral activity against SARS-coronavirus. The experiments were performed using in vitro cultivated monkey Vero E6 cells. IFN-beta was found to be the most highly active antiviral agent, followed by natural IFN-alpha, whereas the 2 recombinant IFN-alpha2 species were poorly active in the system used.

HHV-6 A- or B-specific P41 antigens do not reveal virus variant-specific IgG or IgM responses in human serum.

The etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) remains unknown, but there are indications of a role of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), especially variant A, in the pathogenesis. Higher serum antibody reactivity against an HHV-6 early protein, p41, has been found in MS cases than in controls. The antigen, however, was purified from infected cells with a monoclonal antibody also reactive with a protein (p38) likely to be of cellular origin.